Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has erroneously claimed that former MP and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş and philanthropist businessman Osman Kavala are rightfully imprisoned since they are “responsible for over a hundred deaths.” During his visit to Spain on Thursday, Erdoğan responded to questions from El Pais newspaper, reaffirming his stance amidst criticism.
Notably, neither of the detainees have been sentenced in relation to the deaths during the Gezi and Kobani protests to which Erdoğan refers. According to both local and international advocacy groups, their sentencing is based on their criticism of the Turkish government and revolves around the Turkish government’s denial and criminalisation of the right to association and expression.
When questioned about the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding Demirtaş and Kavala, Erdoğan insisted, “Judicial decisions are made by our legal system.” He criticised journalists defending these figures, stating, “Your questions are cause for concern. We are deeply saddened by a journalist defending terrorists.” Erdoğan defended Turkey’s legal system, stating, “Turkey is a state of law. Judicial decisions are made within the legal framework.” He condemned questions about the ongoing detention of Demirtaş and Kavala, repeating the accusations, proved false in a court of law, that they were responsible for over 100 deaths. The president accused Demirtaş of spreading terror in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey.
In response, Kurdish representatives, including Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Co-chair Tuncer Bakırhan, have fiercely criticised Erdoğan’s remarks. Speaking in Hakkari (Colemêrg), Bakırhan asserted, “They do indeed enforce the law, but this is not the rule of law, it is the rule of enmity against Kurds.” He accused the government of systematically suppressing Kurdish rights by banning cultural practices and undermining political representation. He also called for accountability from the Interior Minister for not addressing unresolved issues like the assassination of Tahir Elçi and for the release [on parole] of the murderer of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, rather than focusing on suppressing Kurdish political expression.
The DEM Party also issued a strong response to Erdoğan’s statements in Spain. “Despite knowing full well that all the plots he constructed in the Kobani trial have collapsed, Erdoğan continues to lie, claiming that Demirtaş and other imprisoned friends are responsible for the deaths of dozens of people. Even the court, which Erdoğan tried to manipulate, has contradicted him, yet he persists in trying to spread this perception,” posted the DEM Party on social media on Thursday. “Let us reiterate: our friends are not imprisoned because they are responsible for the deaths but because they stood behind an honourable call and shook the throne Erdoğan tries so hard to protect. Despite all your lies and perception manipulations, this is how it will go down in history.”
After visiting Spain, Erdoğan travelled to Italy, where he was warmly welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, intensifying scrutiny of his party’s ties with Europe’s far-right. Despite AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik recently condemning the rise of far-right parties in the European Parliament elections as a “wave of fascism,” the Erdoğan-led AKP government continues to maintain close relations with these groups. In January this year, Erdoğan warmly welcomed Meloni in Istanbul, where he promised to curb migrant flows to Europe. His cooperation, particularly on anti-refugee policies, includes a commitment to Meloni, who critics argue epitomises this ‘fascist wave’, to reduce migrant flows to Europe.
