HDP Foreign Affairs Commission has issued an urgent call to international public opinion regarding the police violence and detainment operations against Kurdish elected politicians.

The call by Foreign Affairs Commission of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is as follows:

“We have reached a stage where each day arrives with several new highpoints of lawlessness and violations on the part of the AKP government.

-  Diyarbakır  Metropolitan City Co-mayors Gültan Kışanak and Firat Anlı were detained at night on 25 October.

- The Municipality building and the mayors' houses were raided and searched by police forces.

- The search was conducted in the absence of lawyer supervision.

- The prosecutor’s office has declared that Gültan Kışanak and Fırat Anlı will not be allowed legal advice and lawyer visit for 5 days.

- All democratic protests were banned in Diyarbakir by the Governor of Diyarbakir.

- Internet connection is cut in Diyarbakır and other cities of the Kurdish region.

HDP, DBP, DTK, KJA and many NGOs have called the people of Diyarbakır to stand up for their elected local representatives and demand their release. This democratic and peaceful gathering in protest of the attack on the municipality and co-mayors was met by further police violence in the form of tear gas, water cannons and physical violence. The people and HDP MPs, DBP, KJA and DTK representatives and locally elected politicans were attacked by the police. Our MPs representatives and people have resisted the attempts to disperse their rightful legitimate democratic protest for hours yesterday.

Former MEP and HDP MP Ms. Feleknas UCA, DBP Co-chair and Former MP Ms. Sebahat TUNCEL, DTK Co-Chair Ms. Leyla GÜVEN, KJA Spokeswoman and former MP, Ms. Ayla Akat ATA, KJA executive board member and İmralı delegation member Ms Ceylan Bağrıyanık and many elected Kurdish politicians and our people have faced brutal attacks by AKP Government's police forces. The some pictures regarding their resistance and the police violence and are attached.

It is important to underline that in this process of attacks the police forces directly targeted women’s groups and KJA Spokeswoman Ayla Akat ATA along with several KJA members were taken into police custody. And today, very early in the morning, police forces raided KJA headquarters in Diyarbakır once again and have been conducting a search.

In the context of the determined reaction people are displaying against this violation of their right to elect and be elected and against AKP-state repression, we believe these violations and aggression as well as the open targeting of women’s organizations demand strong response from international public opinion, international organizations and institutions which uphold human rights, democracy and freedom.”