HDP: Gergerlioğlu’s resistance is a fight for human dignity

HDP politician Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has apparently been abducted from the hospital in Ankara.

HDP politician Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has apparently been taken from the hospital in Ankara to which he was brought last night after his arrest for acute complaints. This was announced by his son Salih Gergerlioğlu on Twitter. A delegation from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has been denied information at the hospital. Meanwhile, HDP co-chairs Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar issued a written statement calling the deputy's resistance a fight for human dignity.

The statement said, "Our MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu has been deprived of his parliamentary mandate in an illegal and unjust way. What was done to him last night is proof of how important the fight for human rights is.

In this country, human rights and freedoms are severely violated by the government at every opportunity. Our deputy Gergerlioğlu has been arrested in an act of retaliation. Although he was issued a medical certificate during the health check, he has been transferred to prison and taken to the hospital again in the middle of the night, where he has been transferred to the intensive care unit. Pressure is being put on the doctors to return him to prison immediately.

The government continues its aggression against those who raise, substantiate and publicize human rights violations. With Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, this state of affairs has been taken to the extreme."

The HDP will continue to fight for human rights together with Gergerlioğlu, the party leaders said, "We will not make any concessions and will continue to position ourselves against the government that disregards the will of the people and violates all human values. Justice will prevail, truth will prevail."

"Resistance means life"

Gergerlioğlu had been mistreated and dragged out of his apartment without shoes when he was arrested Friday evening. The deputy for Kocaeli had been deprived of his parliamentary mandate on March 17 because of a final conviction. The authorities had set a deadline of ten days for him to be detained. Gergerlioğlu had announced that he would not comply with the request and would stay in his apartment.

In recent weeks, the politician has continued to publicly campaign steadfastly for the enforcement of human rights and legal standards in Turkey. While waiting to be arrested in his apartment, he declared in a live broadcast, "This oppression will end one day. Right now, attempts are being made to destroy a country's hope for peace. I am being punished for speaking the truth and being a representative of our people. It is not me who has trampled on the dignity of this people. I will continue to fight and one day I will return. Even if I do not return and am in prison, I will remain a representative of this people. History does not stop here, the oppression cannot continue like this. I repeat what I have already said in Parliament: Resistance means life."