HDP Co-President Selahattin Demirtaş spoke during the HDP caucus meeting and condemned the arrest of journalists showing solidarity with Özgür Gündem. Demirtaş noted that the newspaper was targeted for exposing the crimes committed in towns such as Cizîr and Sûr. The HDP Co-President commented on Turkish leaders attempt to establish political ties with Israel, Syria and Russia, and recalled that he was accused of treason when he had suggested that he could go to Moscow and establish dialogue channels for the solution of the problems with Russia.

REFUGEES

Demirtaş began his speech by commemorating June 20, the World Refugee Day and recalled Turkey’s limited ratification of the Geneva Convention. Demirtaş noted that only European refugees are granted official refugee status in Turkey, and only the 260 thousand of the 3 million refugees in Turkey stay at state-run refugee facilities. Demirtaş criticized the AKP government and Erdoğan for not implementing healthy policies regarding refugees, and said that Turkey accepted 3 million refugees mainly because it wants to depopulate parts of Syria, create an excuse to interfere with Syria’s internal affairs, blackmailing Europe, changing the demographics of the region, and using refugees as the informal labor force in Turkey.

ÖZGÜR GÜNDEM

Demirtaş condemned the arrest of Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, journalist Erol Önderoğlu and writer Ahmet Nesin for showing solidarity with Özgür Gündem, and said that 39 journalists have been arrested for participating in the solidarity campaign. Demirtaş recalled that the government had targeted Dr. Fincancı for her efforts in documenting the massacre in Cizîr, and has been using prosecution in order to intimidate and silence democratic forces in Turkey. Demirtaş emphasized that Özgür Gündem was targeted for exposing the crimes committed in towns such as Cizîr and Sûr.

AKP’S INTERVENTION

Demirtaş recalled the AKP government’s reassignment of 3 thousand 726 judicial personnel last week, and suggested that the reassignment aimed to speed up the AKP’s intervention in the judiciary. Demirtaş underlined that the AKP was filling the courts with people directly loyal to Erdoğan, and has been changing the laws for its political goals. Demirtaş said that the new judiciary resembled the State Security Courts of the past, and renders Turkey lawless.

ERDOĞAN’S SPENDINGS

HDP Co-President Demirtaş touched upon the high and secret spending rate of the Presidency, and said that 2 trillion liras were spent by the Presidency only during Erdoğan’s visit to the US for the funeral of renowned boxer Muhammed Ali. Demirtaş called upon state officials not to waste the citizens’ money anymore.

ATTEMPT TO SEIZE DBP MUNICIPALITIES

Demirtaş stated that state inspectors have been trying hard to find irregularities in DBP municipalities for years now but failing to find anything, and the AKP’s accusation of the municipalities for ‘supporting terrorism’ without any proof reflects the state’s hostility towards the DBP. Demirtaş recalled that Erdoğan’s palace spends 200 trillion liras annually for water expenses, and in contrast, Wan Municipality offered numerous services to citizens with an annual income of 200 trillion liras. Demirtaş called upon everyone to stand up for the elected co-mayors, and condemned the arrest of 21 DBP co-mayors.

ISRAEL-TURKEY RELATIONS

The HDP Co-President stated that the state was getting votes through its enmity towards Israel until recently, but was now carrying out immoral meetings with the Israeli government behind closed doors. Demirtaş recalled that AKP officials, calling Syria’s Assad a murderer until recently, had recently met with Assad’s officials in Algeria. Lastly, Demirtaş commented on Erdoğan’s recent letter to Putin, and said that he was accused of treason when he had suggested that he could go to Moscow and establish dialogue channels for the solution of the problems with Russia.