Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chair Devlet Bahçeli targeted the pro-democracy Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and demanded the party be closed. In response, the HDP said: “We will bring democracy to this country despite you”.
As HDP executives and members are increasingly subjected to detention operations under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and MHP alliance in Turkey, MHP chair Devlet Bahçeli said the HDP “should be shut down for life”.
The HDP responded to Bahçeli’s words on social media. “Members of the government, who act like mafia members, are the real enemies of this country. We will bring democracy to this country despite you. If you keep quiet, you will do a significant favour for the future of our country”.
Suppression of HDP
After the termination of peace talks carried out between the Turkish state and the Kurdish political movement in 2015, the government increased suppression on the HDP. Thousands of HDP members, including former co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, have been arrested.
A detention operation was launched on 25 September. Ankara’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office had decided to detain 82 people in seven provinces within the scope of the investigation launched into the 6-8 October ‘Kobanî protests’ of 2014. Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Kars Municipality co-mayors Ayhan Bilgen and Sırrı Süreyya Önder were taken into custody as part of this operation. Seventeen were arrested on 3 October.
Lastly, former HDP party assembly member Meryem Adıbelli was arrested on 11 December. So far 26 HDP politicians have been arrested overall as part of the 6-8 October Kobanî investigation.