The Co-Chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) issued a written statement following the attempts to shut down their party permanently in the aftermath the much reported session at the Turkish parliament, in which the HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was stripped of his membership status of the parliament.
The Turkish parliament on 17 March has stripped the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu of his status as a member of parliament.
Following this major incident which created much dispute, Bekir Şahin, the chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court, demanding the pro-Kurdish opposition HDP be closed on the same day.
Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, the Co-Chairs of the HDP issued a written statement regarding the recent atttacks targeting their party and their elected members of the parliament.
‘Democratic resistance’ against the Turkish government
Defining the HDP not only as a political party, but also as an “idea”, the HDP Co-Chairs said, “Millions of people embrace this idea and they will continute to defend this idea,” even if they shut down the party.
Buldan and Sancar stressed that the Turkish government has lost its “democratic legitimacy”, therefore mobilizes “the mechanisms of force and repression”.
The Turkish government must be “fully aware of the fact that we will never surrender, kneel or budge an inch from democratic politics no matter what they do. We will continue our democratic resistance through resolute struggle,” the HDP Co-Chairs said.
Medya News shares the full statement of the HDP Co-Chair as follows:
`The chief prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals submitted an indictment to the Constitutional Court, demanding the closure of our party on the same day that the government stripped Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, HDP’s MP for Kocaeli, of his status as a deputy based on political calculations that are in violation of the law.
The AKP (Justice and Development Party) government has turned the judiciary into a subsidiary and partisan instrument which it is now using as a stick to design it’s own politics.
The case to shut down our party is a severe blow to our country’s democracy and law. This government has inscribed its name in history as a coup government. AKP has presented a gift to the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) with this indictment against the HDP to close the party permanently. The judiciary and the prosecutors have acted upon political instructions.
What we witness nowadays also indicates the profound helplessness that the AKP-MHP power bloc has found themselves in. Not having been able to overcome the HDP ideologically, politically or at the ballot box, they are now aiming to prevent the HDP from democratic politics using the judiciary. Their aggressiveness originates from their deep fear.”
‘HDP is an idea’
“HDP is not just a party, but also an idea. Millions of people embrace this idea and they will continute to defend this idea in the future.
As for the AKP-MHP rule, having lost its democratic legitimacy, it tries to maintain its power using mechanisms of force and repression. The AKP-MHP government must be fully aware of the fact that we will never surrender, kneel or budge an inch from democratic politics no matter what they do. We will continue our democratic resistance through resolute struggle.
We invite all forces of democracy, the social and political opposition, and our people to joint struggle against this political coup d’etat, against the overt liquidation of law and democracy.
We have called an extraordinary meeting of the Central Executive Committee of our party. We will pull through this dark period leaning on our historical tradition of struggle. We are confident and determined. We are sure, we are sure that we shall overcome.
Pervin Buldan – Mithat Sancar
HDP Co-chairs
17 March 2021”
