Selahattin put HDP Majors & MPs at risk of imprisonment

[Anthea]

Turkey rejects European rulings

Turkey does not recognize the European rulings on Osman Kavala or Selahattin Demirtaş, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday 8 Dec

Speaking to reporters on a flight returning from Doha, Erdoğan was cited as saying the European rulings on both Kavala and Demirtaş were "null and void" for Turkey.

Last week the Council of Europe told Turkey it was preparing "infringement proceedings" over its failure to release Kavala, a move that could lead to Ankara's suspension from the human rights body. It also strongly urged Turkey to release Demirtaş.

“There is no need to comment on this,” Erdoğan said about the proceedings.

A Turkish court ruled last month to keep businessperson Kavala in prison following the first hearing after tensions heightened between Turkey and the West over a statement made by 10 foreign ambassadors who urged his release.

Kavala has been imprisoned for four years now over his alleged role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests and subsequent riots. However, Kavala denies the charges.

In October, the embassies of the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for Kavala's release in a joint statement.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of these countries, accusing them of meddling in the Turkish judiciary, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced he had instructed Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to declare the 10 ambassadors as persona non grata. However, the embassies took a step back, preventing the crisis from escalating further.

The diplomatic spat was resolved after the U.S. and several of the other countries issued statements saying they respected the United Nations convention requiring diplomats not to interfere in the host country's domestic affairs.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) called for Kavala's release in late 2019 over a lack of reasonable suspicion that he committed an offense, ruling that his detention served to silence him.

Similarly, Turkey rejects the EU verdict on the imprisoned pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP)'s former co-chair, Demirtaş.

In November 2016, Demirtaş, along with 12 HDP lawmakers, was arrested on terror-related charges.

He was sentenced in September 2018 to four years and eight months in prison after he was convicted of "spreading terrorist propaganda," being a part of "terrorist organization leadership" and "public incitement to hatred and hostility."

Demirtaş was detained in November 2016 along with other top figures of the HDP on charges of terrorism after they refused to attend trials related to earlier cases they were accused in. He and his party are often criticized for their open support of the PKK terrorist group, which is listed as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the EU and is responsible for the killings of thousands since the early 1980s.

The most serious charges he is facing are related to the notorious Kobani riots on Oct. 6-7, 2014, during which some 43 people were killed, and the role of HDP-linked officials and municipalities in the PKK’s unilateral move to end the reconciliation period and launch an unprecedented barricade and trench attacks in cities and towns in Turkey’s southeast.

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/eu- ... rtas-cases

[Anthea]

HDP congress for played PKK slogans

Turkey’s counterterrorism forces said late Sunday that they had received a complaint from the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office over the alleged chanting of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) slogans during the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) provincial congress in the city earlier in the day

The HDP held its fourth provincial congress in Istanbul on Sunday, electing new co-chairs for its office in the province. During the congress, the audience raised their index and middle fingers as a sign of victory while a Kurdish revolutionary song was played.

The Counterterrorism Department of the Directorate General of Security said in a statement on Sunday evening that they had launched an investigation regarding the alleged chanting of PKK slogans in the congress following a criminal complaint by Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Today, we held our 4th HDP Istanbul Congress with the enthusiastic and determined participation of our peoples. We congratulate the newly elected administration. Together we are strong, and dedicated to our principles of democracy, justice and peace. #İstanbuldaHDPZamanı pic.twitter.com/Ow3i0eZZcT
— HDP English (@HDPenglish) December 12, 2021

The Department claimed that “attendees of the congress chanted slogans praising the leader of the terrorist organization as well as organizational anthems,” referring to PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

Ferhat Encu, the newly-elected co-chair of HDP’s office in Istanbul, was targeted by pro-government media on Sunday, claiming that he had previously received training from the PKK.

Encu told Rudaw English on Monday that the attendees of the congress were expressing themselves freely and the party did not intervene, adding that “the important thing is that our people made their decision.”

He claimed that the investigation “is the continuation of the attacks against the HDP. They want to pressure the HDP through these legal mechanisms. However, these are invalid hopes.”

“Nothing happened in our congress that violated the law,” said Encu.

Some Turkish officials accuse the HDP of being the political wing of the PKK, but the party has denied the claim. Thousands of the party’s officials, former lawmakers, and members have been arrested over the last few years, including former co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag.

Several HDP members and officials were detained on Saturday during raids by the security forces in Sirnak province following the interior minister's claim that a lawmaker from the party was involved in the death of the brother of an official from the ruling party.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/13122021

[Anthea]

HDP hoping for snap elections

The co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) visited the leaders of Turkish opposition parties on Tuesday, calling for a joint effort in the parliament to bring snap elections to the country’s agenda

The co-chairs, Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, paid rare visits to Ahmet Davutoglu, leader of Future Party on Monday, and to Ali Babacan, head of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on Tuesday.

Pervin and Sancar proposed to Davutoglu, Babacan, and Kilicdaroglu to join them in the Turkish parliament to push for early elections. The opposition parties have been calling for snap elections since last year but these calls increased recently after the country’s economy suffered a lot, especially after the country’s currency dramatically lost value against the dollar.

“Turkey needs a new understanding and governance. This will definitely happen in Turkey when there is an early election decision” Buldan said during a joint presser with Sancar and Kilicdaroglu, adding that with an early vote “Turkey will definitely see a new administration and a new understanding.”

“We shared our position on this to the [CHP] leader. We had done the same during our meetings with other parties. We have requested from the [CHP] leader [to join the HDP] to submit a joint proposal to the parliament to hold an early election,” Buldan continued.

Shame Kurds did not back CHP in last election

“Turkey needs unity,” Kilicdaroglu said,” adding that “We have suffered a lot from fighting. We have to prioritise peace not fighting.” He also said that all issues in Turkey can be resolved through dialogue.

Davutoglu told the HDP leaders that they not only support early elections but “urgent elections” as well, especially at a time of severe economic crisis.

Neither of the Turkish parties promised to join the HDP in such a move in the legislature but Buldan said they will receive answers from them soon.

Turkey’s latest general elections were held on June 24, 2018. The People’s Alliance - mainly consisting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) won most of the seats.

The next elections are due no later than June 2023. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party have said that the elections will be held on time.

“They [the opposition] still call for early polls. There will be no early polls. They will be held in June 2023. Going to polls every 15 or 20 months is only seen in primitive tribes. We are running this country as a modern entity,” Erdogan said in November.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/28122021

[Anthea]

HDP MP Güzel to lose immunity

The lifting of the parliamentary immunity of HDP deputy Semra Güzel is imminent. The parliamentary preparatory committee has voted in favour of the immunity revocation. Now the Constitutional and Judicial Commission will decide

The lifting of the parliamentary immunity of HDP deputy Semra Güzel has moved closer. On Thursday, the parliament's preparatory committee voted to revoke the 38-year-old politician’s immunity. This makes a lawsuit against the politician for anti-constitutional activities by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office more likely. Güzel has been in the Turkish National Assembly since 2018.

The vote of the preparatory committee, which includes three AKP MPs, one CHP member and one HDP parliamentarian, was in favour of lifting Güzel's immunity, with one vote against. Now the panel's report is to go to the Constitutional and Judicial Commissions. The plenum will decide on the withdrawal of MP's immunity by simple majority. The vote is scheduled for next Tuesday. It is expected that the commission will follow the committee's recommendation.

Semra Güzel is facing criminal investigation for treason and terrorism. The groundwork for this was laid by an elaborate and state-directed defamation campaign against the Kurdish politician in newspapers close to the government. The starting point were photos showing Güzel with guerrilla fighter Volkan Bora (Nom de Guerre: Koçero Meletî). The photos were taken in 2014 in a guerrilla camp in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq), when a delegation of the HDP visited the PKK with state knowledge as part of the peace process to discuss further steps towards de-escalation.

HPG guerrilla Volkan Bora, who died in April 2017 during Turkish air strikes in the countryside of Adıyaman province, was Güzel's former fiancé. From the pictures with him, the prosecution constructs accusations such as "membership in a terrorist organisation" and "financing terrorism" against the politician. Güzel is alleged to have visited PKK camps in southern Kurdistan several times even after fighting had resumed. The HDP said that the defamation campaign was a propaganda manoeuvre in the course of the proceedings to ban the party. If Güzel is convicted, she faces many years in prison.

[Anthea]

Rights of Co-Chairs violated
Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday ruled that the rights of the former co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish party Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, were violated

“They complained that they had not had effective legal assistance in order to appeal against their pre-trial detention, on account of the prison authorities’ surveillance of their meetings with their lawyers and the seizure of the documents exchanged with them,” the court said.

The measures in question were ordered by the Turkish courts for a three-month period under Emergency Legislative Decree No. 676, which was enacted following the attempted Turkish military coup of 15 July 2016.

“The Court found, in particular, that the domestic courts had not demonstrated the existence of exceptional circumstances that could justify derogating from the core principle of the confidentiality of the applicants’ meetings with their lawyers, and that the breach of lawyer-client privilege had deprived the applicants of effective assistance from their lawyers for the purposes of Article 5 § 4 of the Convention.”

Moreover, the Court found that the national authorities had not shown any detailed evidence capable of justifying the imposition of the measures in question on the applicants under Emergency Legislative Decree No. 676.

The official account of the HDP tweeted that the Turkish government “commits a crime every day by refusing to follow ECHR's rulings. The unlawful imprisonment of all our comrades should end immediately!”

Demirtas remains jailed in Turkey despite European Court of Human Rights rulings calling for his immediate release.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his re-election speech on May 29, vowed that Demirtas would not be granted release under his rule, blaming him for deaths during protests in Diyarbakir.

In a case related to the Kobani protests in 2014, co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, along with 34 others, were jailed in 2016 for “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state”.

The HDP called for street protests in Oct. 2014 in response to the attack on Kobani by ISIS.

During the protests, the situation escalated into violence, resulting in clashes between different factions.

At least 43 individuals lost their lives, including 33 supporters of the HDP, six members of a Kurdish-Islamist group, two police officers, and two Syrian refugees.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/31 ... s-violated

[Anthea]

2 HDP mayors detained

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on Friday announced that two of its mayors and a number of other affiliated local officials were detained by security forces for unknown reasons.

The co-mayors of Patnos (Panos in Kurdish), Muserref Gecer and Emrah Kilic, in the southeast province of Agri, and a number of other municipal employees “were unlawfully detained this morning,” HDP said.

“These detentions are a continuation of the political genocide operations,” the party added.

The HDP won the municipality in the 2019 local elections. The party applies a co-leadership system within its internal structure and offices it governs, meaning that every position is jointly held by male and female counterparts.

Most of the HDP’s mayors have been removed from their positions for alleged links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and named a terror organisation by Ankara. The ousted mayors were replaced with state-linked trustees.

The HDP said that none of the officials detained on Friday have yet made statements to the authorities.

The party vowed that “our people will defend their will until the end” against underhanded operations that aim to “usurp the will of the Kurdish people.”

Mezopotamya news agency, which is close to the HDP, reported that in addition to the co-mayors, the head of the municipality’s human resources was also detained.

The raids came weeks after Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections. The HDP lost seats in the vote and pundits have warned that its support for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, could make it a target for more arrests.

In the past, Erdogan’s governments intensified crackdowns on the HDP whenever the party won at the ballot box. The HDP is the main rival of Erdogan’s party in Kurdish areas of the country. The arrests of HDP mayors in 2019 was seen as a reprisal for HDP’s support for the main opposition party in Istanbul and Ankara.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... /090620231

[Anthea]

Turkish government should release Demirtas
By Wladimir van Wilgenburg

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report on Friday said that the Turkish government should release the former co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish party Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas

“The Turkish government should abide by international law and implement the binding judgments of the ECtHR by immediately releasing politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ,” the four nongovernmental organizations—Human Rights Watch, the Turkey Human Rights Litigation Support Project, the International Commission of Jurists, and the International Federation for Human Rights, said on the seventh anniversary of the politicians’ imprisonment.

“The seventh anniversary of the unlawful incarceration of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ is a stark reminder of the Erdoğan presidency’s willingness to use detention for political ends to silence democratically elected opposition politicians representing millions of Kurdish and leftist voters in Turkey,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“In defying the binding ECtHR judgments ordering the politicians’ release, Turkey is flagrantly violating its legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and international law more broadly.”

In a case related to the Kobani protests in 2014, co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, along with 34 others, were jailed in 2016 for “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state”.

The HDP called for street protests in Oct. 2014 in response to the attack on Kobani by ISIS.

“Despite the European Court ruling that the grounds to justify Yüksekdağ and Demirtaş’s detention were insufficient, the Ankara public prosecutor in April 2023 requested their conviction on numerous alleged offences concerning their political speech, which may result in their life imprisonment without parole,” said Temur Shakirov, interim director of the International Commission of Jurists’ Europe and Central Asia Programme.

“This underscores the ultimate political motives behind the ongoing case targeting the two and reinforces doubts about the fair administration of justice in the country.”

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/33 ... kdag:-NGOs

Thousands of loyal Kurds have suffered or been imprisoned due to Demirtas's open support of Ocalan and PKK

[Anthea]

Turkey’s judicial crisis deepens

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday waded into a judicial crisis between the country’s two highest courts

He sided with the Supreme Court, which filed criminal charges against members of the Constitutional Court who had ordered the release of jailed Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP) lawmaker Can Atalay.

"Unfortunately, the Constitutional Court has made many mistakes one after another, seriously saddening us,” Erdogan told journalists as he travelled back to Turkey from Uzbekistan.

“The Constitutional Court cannot underestimate the step taken by the Supreme Court on this matter,” he added.

Atalay was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year as a part of the Gezi Park trial of people accused of trying to overthrow the government during 2013 protests. Atalay ran in May’s parliamentary elections from jail and was elected. He then petitioned the Supreme Court to release him on the basis of the immunity he enjoys as a member of parliament. The court rejected Atalay’s petition.

Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled that the Supreme Court had violated Atalay’s rights and ordered his release.

The Constitutional Court ranks above the Supreme Court and its decisions must be abided by the lower courts.

Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), on Friday joined a protest organized by the Bar Associations Union in Ankara against the Supreme Court’s decision, which newly elected party leader Ozgur Ozel labeled an “attempted coup.”

Ozel told journalists at the protest that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is carrying out a “mutiny” against the constitution and accused Erdogan of leading “an insurgence… against the people’s will.”

The CHP and other opposition parties in the legislature also announced sit-in protests inside the parliament building.

The Supreme Court released a statement on Friday saying that the Constitutional Court “from time to time exceeds its constitutional and legal limits” by reversing the jurisprudence developed by experts of the Supreme Court and dragging the legal system into chaos.

On his return to Turkey, Erdogan said during a televised speech that he was not a party to the controversy but an “arbitrator,” and claimed the crisis was a sign the country needs a new constitution.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/11112023

So Erdogan thinks Turkey needs a new constitution - doubt one that would proclaim him Sultan although he would prefer a constitution that declares him GOD

[Anthea]

Did PKK kill Rezan Jawidi?

In a breaking development, undisclosed information has surfaced regarding the abduction and subsequent assassination of Rezan Jawidi, a prominent leader associated with the Free and Democratic Society of Eastern Kurdistan (KODAR)

Sources reveal that Jawidi, a member of KODAR's executive committee, was allegedly arrested by Kurdistan Democratic Party (PKK) forces in Sulaymaniyah and forcibly transported to the Qandil Mountains before being taken to Syrian Kurdistan, where he met his end in mid-2022.

Ava Today, an independent news outlet based in Syrian Kurdistan, had previously reported Jawidi's escape to Sulaimaniyah, seeking distance from the PKK and advocating for the cessation of armed conflict. However, these efforts allegedly resulted in his arrest in Sulaymaniyah and subsequent return to Qandil.

The PKK remained silent on Jawidi's status despite warnings from Ava Today, only acknowledging his demise in August 2022, attributing it to a Turkish airstrike.

Details surrounding Jawidi's murder remain shrouded in mystery, prompting speculation and questions regarding the circumstances leading to his transfer to Syria and the subsequent events leading to his death.

Critics, including Hamid Gawhari, point to Jawidi's connections with the family of Siamand Mo'ini, co-chairman of PJAK, suggesting that his departure from the PKK may have played a role in his suspicious killing in Syria.

Mahmoud Rash, a former PKK commander, raises doubts about the conflicting accounts of Jawidi's activities in Syrian Kurdistan, hinting at a possible PKK involvement in his death.

As demands for autonomy from PKK influence grow within other Kurdish parties, the circumstances surrounding Jawidi's killing add complexity to an already intricate political landscape.

With unanswered questions persisting, calls intensify for transparency and clarity. Jawidi's family is urged to seek answers from the PKK, requesting verifiable evidence, such as video documentation, to shed light on the circumstances surrounding his tragic demise.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/830007

I say NO

The PKK are freedom fighters NOT murders