“We are concerned over the safety of HDP co-chairs and MPs”

HDP Urfa MP Osman Baydemir voiced the party’s concern for the safety of HDP’s arrested co-chairs, MPs and co-mayors.

HDP Urfa MP Osman Baydemir held a press conference in the parliament on the conditions HDP Co-chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahatin Demirtaş and HDP MPs are held under in prison.

Baydemir pointed out that Turkey had been experiencing a “permanent coup” process since June 8, 2015 and said that the coup continued today with the detentions in Siirt and Dersim.

Baydemir also pointed out that the arrest of HDP members was a continuation of the permanent coup process and said: “The arrest of HDP co-chairs and MPs who have been the hope for the peoples of Turkey, have refused to be herded and believe that a herd mentality will not benefit anybody is a coup and this coup continues without any breaks.”

HDP stated that HDP will not allow society to be turned into a herd and continued: “The government wants to sustain this hegemony built over chaos and blood. We will not get used to our co-chairs, MPs and co-mayors to be held in isolation, we will not consider it legitimate, and we will not bow down.”

Baydemir pointed out that the prisons were prepared before the co-chairs and MPs were referred to the prosecutor’s office and called on to Erdoğan: “The only person responsible for our co-chairs and MPs’ arrest is President Erdoğan. They are your political rivals, the only way to settle your account with them is through the ballots. It is a coup to imprison those you can’t beat at the ballots. Like July 15 is a coup, imprisoning those you can’t beat at the ballots is also a coup, it’s also illegitimate. Turn back from this unlawfulness and illegitimacy at once.”

Baydemir said the co-chairs and MPs were subjected to isolation in prison and asked: “Why weren’t Mr. Demirtaş, Ms. Yüksekdağ and our MPs placed in the prison of the city they were arrested in?”

Baydemir mentioned AKP İzmir MP Hüseyin Kocabıyık’s social media message of “The people will hang PKK and FETÖ members in prisons if there is an assasination on state officials” and asked the President whether he was aware of this piece of information.

Baydemir said: “Are you responsible for this perception operation, this laying of the groundwork yourself, like you are For the arrests? I’m asking the Minister of Justice, where do you stand in all of this? I’m asking the Prime Minister, where do you stand in all of this? If anything happens to these people, to a hair on their heads, the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and those who voted for the lifting of the immunities will be responsible in the first degree. Who posted this message? What is their goal? It’s your responsibility to uncover the truth of this.”

Baydemir criticized Erdoğan and said: “Our co-chairs and MPs are more free than the President. The society is in this situation because the President is a slave to his own anger and fears. If you claim to be a shepherd, that’s your claim, but we have a right to fight not to become a herd. We will not allow you to drive the people off a cliff by turning the society into a herd.”

Baydemir addressed the President by saying “Your path is no path to follow”, and called on him: “Turn away from your animosity against Kurds, your hubris, your vengeance.”

Baydemir answered questions from the journalists after his statement and asked: “We wouldn’t hold this press conference and issue this call today if there wasn’t a risk. We have had meetings, but we felt the need to issue this call because those meetings have produced no results. Why is Demirtaş held in Edirne Type F Prison? Why isn’t he held in Blocks A or B, but in C?”

Baydemir mentioned the torture allegations on the Prison Warden and stated that the relevant authority in the safety of the co-chairs, MPs and co-mayors are the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice and the Parliament Chairperson.