200 NGOs against the closure of HDP

Some 200 non-governmental organizations have issued a statement opposing the ban on the HDP and the lifting of MPs' immunity. They call on the Constitutional Court to dismiss the case.

In Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, broad civil society protest against the threatened ban of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) is stirring. 68 representations of the Chamber of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), 49 sections of the trade union federation KESK, 19 different associations, 17 IHD offices, 14 bar associations, 9 medical chambers, 6 chambers of commerce and industry and 3 representations of public administrators have signed a statement demanding the dismissal of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office's suit to ban the HDP.

“We were against the ban of AKP at that time”

The statement says: "Turkey has bad memories of party closures. 24 political parties have been closed since the establishment of the Constitutional Court. The last time there was a request to close the AKP in the Constitutional Court was in 2008. We opposed the ban on AKP at that time because of our belief in democracy, law and pluralism, and we shared this view with the public."

"Declaration from 2008 has not lost its currency"

The associations again share their statement of March 19, 2008, in which they opposed a ban on the AKP and stress that it has not lost its currency: "Remembering that the most effective way to democratize Turkey is through the reforms that need to be implemented on the road to EU membership, the stalled, backward reform process should be revisited with determination. The laws on political parties as well as the electoral laws should be put on the agenda of the parliament without delay, democratized and regulated in order to prevent the arbitrary, political and uncontrolled closure of political parties. With the cooperation of those who want real democracy in Turkey, work on a new civil constitution should be accelerated as soon as possible and enriched with content that responds to solving Turkey's fundamental problems."

“Party bans weaken democracy and political institutions”

In their current statement, the associations further write: "Without a doubt, the election is the most important expression of democracy. Since 2016, many provinces and districts in our region have been governed by those appointed by the central government as trustees to replace elected mayors. The practice of appointing trustees, which has become a common reality, has weakened faith in democracy. As our past experience has shown, party bans mean nothing more than a weakening of political institutions. Our country will thus move further away from democratic values and the goal of membership in the EU. Instead, means outside of politics will be strengthened.

"Escalating economic problems will be exacerbated"

We, as NGOs and professional organizations that have signed this declaration, are convinced that banning a party and lifting the parliamentary immunity of MPs will not benefit our country. Thus, the economic problems escalating as a result of the pandemic will be further exacerbated and there will be further violations of freedom of expression and the rule of law. Therefore, we believe that it is in the interest of our country and all of our citizens to prioritize economic, social and human rights reforms and stop pushing the institution of politics out of the equation.

"Constitutional Court must apply criteria of the ECtHR"

Regarding the legal action taken to ban the HDP, the Constitutional Court should apply the criteria of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in relation to many previous party ban proceedings and reject the application of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. We hope that these opinions and demands, with which we want to secure the future of Turkey, will be taken into consideration. We are happy to share our opinions and proposals on economic and social reforms, especially in the field of judiciary."