The systematic withdrawal of mandates and the lifting of immunity of parliamentarians is a weapon used by the Turkish regime to eliminate parliamentary opposition. The AKP-MHP regime uses this method of repression especially against the People's Democratic Party (HDP). Most recently, twenty new requests for the lifting of MPs' immunity were tabled. Half of the motions were directed against the People's Democratic Party (HDP), the other half against the Republican People's Party (CHP). According to media reports, the MPs are accused of insulting the president, sedition and slander, among other things. HDP deputy Murat Çepni talked to ANF and criticised in particular the lack of solidarity of the other opposition parties and called on them to be honest.

The HDP has shaken the regime's politics

Murat Çepni, who himself is among the MPs whose immunity is to be lifted, said: “With the elections on 24 June 2015 we gave the rulers of the palace (i.e. the AKP-MHP regime) a very substantial answer. The election success of the HDP had shaken the government bloc as a whole, politically. Both in terms of the number of MEPs we were able to send to Parliament and the political energy we developed before and after the election, we kept the regime busy across the country. Therefore, immediately after the elections, a strategy was developed to paralyze the HDP and its MPs.”

Çepni continued: “The AKP-MHP alliance carried out a widespread attack that manifested itself in arrests, detentions, operations and aimed at neutralizing our city administrations and our MPs. Even if these requests to strip us of immunity are new on the agenda, they are not really new. There were hundreds of such motions in the immediate aftermath of the election, although not much was reported in the press. Since the CHP has also been affected by such requests in the last two months and also against the background of the closure proceedings against our party and the Kobanê proceedings, they have now moved a little more on the agenda.

As the HDP we want democracy, equality between peoples, justice and a free environment in this region. We stand for a new life. We don't just want that for the voters of the HDP or for the Kurds. If there is to be democracy in this region, then it has to be for Kurds, Turks, Alevis and all areas of society. It is not possible to have democracy for some and fascism for others. We expressed this idea from the start with the slogan 'Democracy for all and justice for all'."

The opposition is inadequate

Çepni addressed the issue of the inadequacy of the opposition in the following terms: “The appointment of trustees replacing democratically and freely elected representatives is one of the most obvious practices of repression. Accusations are prepared on the basis of conspiracies and lies, and a policy of criminalization is implemented. Recently it became apparent again that there was nothing concrete in any of the allegations made against our city administrations. We say that the trustee policy is not only aimed at the HDP or the Kurdish people, but it is a form of governance that poses a threat to society as a whole in Turkey. Unfortunately, part of the opposition has calculated that if they remain silent and ignore the situation, they will be left untouched. Today it has become clear that this is a great mistake. We are dealing with a regime that cannot tolerate any other voice besides itself. It is a fascist system that, in order to continue its rule, has committed itself to the destruction of all forces around it. The opposition began to change its tone today, but that is still totally inadequate. The question 'where is the 128 billion' [from the budget] is a legitimate question, but we have asked the question before. This money is paid as a covert payment to the mercenaries organized in Syria against the Kurdish people, as wages. We asked where the money comes from to pay these mercenaries. Without the unconditional support of the CHP to question the Syria policy at the time, it makes no sense to ask now about the whereabouts of the 128 billion."

"The attacks will become even more extensive"

Çepni said the current attempts to strip MPs of their immunity is part of a comprehensive campaign and warned of even more far-reaching attacks: “If we listen to Erdoğan's speeches, we can see that a major attack lies ahead of us. There is an attitude in Turkey by which a regime can only be called fascist if it has built gas chambers. The fact that there are parties is seen as a hope for democratic politics. But in this region the Kurdish people have been trying for 50 years to prove that they are Kurds and that they have rights. There are 17,000 murders carried out by 'unknown perpetrators', 4,000 villages have been destroyed, tens of thousands of people are in jail just for being Kurds. The bar for oppression is already very high in this region.

The AKP-MHP bloc has committed many crimes and is now trying to create new mechanisms that correspond to its own political existence. On the one hand, neo-Ottoman, Islamist statements are made, on the other hand more and more racist and nationalistic definitions are used. They say that those who are not 'indigenous and national' have no right to make politics in this country. It's not just about banning parties, it's about unions, mass organizations and professional associations as a whole: They either stop criticising the palace or they will disappear. That is the extent of the attacks."

"We call for sincerity"

Çepni said: “We are a fighting organization of peoples, workers, women and youth. We are the party of the struggle for equality, justice and freedom. Of course we see our own future in this struggle. That is exactly what we call a democratic alliance. We say to the opposition outside the palace: You cannot compete with the AKP on nationalism and hostility towards the Kurds. One cannot oppose the AKP's Syria policy by saying 'yes' to Libya policy, by saying 'yes' to the regime imperialism on the one hand, but then asking where the 128 billion went. We demand sincerity. If you want to get rid of the AKP, you have to go against its practices. We call on all opposition to be honest."