Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has commented on the state defamation campaign against the HDP and the Turkish army's failed attack on the guerrilla area of Gare in Southern Kurdistan at her party's parliamentary group meeting in Ankara on Tuesday.

"We will continue to demand justice"

Buldan pointed out that the government was trying to evade responsibility in the aftermath of the military operation in Gare. Twelve PKK prisoners of war and a temporarily arrested Iraqi national from Southern Kurdistan were killed in the operation. The HDP will continue to demand justice in this matter, Pervin Buldan said and added, "Gare is an important breaking point. If any other party was in government and the AKP was in opposition, they would riot over Gare and hold the government responsible for the dead. That is exactly what we are doing as the HDP. We are demanding justice from the government on behalf of the people. And we will continue to demand it."

The AKP government is responsible

Buldan continued, "The government bears the responsibility to bring people back alive, not dead. Therefore, the AKP government is responsible for what was done or not done in Gare. Gare is a clear example of the kind of disasters the country will be dragged into by a government that tries to hold on to power with war policies. In Gare, we could all see once again how political arrogance and demonstrations of power lead to a consciousness that places no value on the lives of its own citizens. As in the past, for a week now the government has failed to answer the questions of the public, the HDP and the rest of the opposition as to why no steps were taken to save these people. The government is breaking away from Gare issue because it is guilty."

The three pillars of the solution process: Imrali, Qandil, Dolmabahçe

In the public part of the parliamentary group meeting, Pervin Buldan also addressed the character assassination campaign against her party and in particular HDP deputies Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir and Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has displayed pictures of HDP deputies in Qandil in parliament and on television in recent days to stir up chauvinist sentiment. In this context, Buldan pointed out that the photos were taken during the peace process. The HDP delegation had been there with the knowledge of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Buldan recalled and continued: "The solution process at that time had three pillars: Imrali, Qandil and the government or the state. All talks with Abdullah Ocalan in Imrali took place with the knowledge and consent of the government. After the visits to Imrali, we went to Qandil. This also took place with the state's consent. Upon our return, we conveyed the results of these talks to the state and government delegation. The state delegation forwarded this information to Mr. Öcalan before we did. After that, our delegation again went to Imrali and Mr. Öcalan conveyed to us the framework of his conversation with the state delegation, which we in turn passed on to the PKK in Qandil."