Exiled elected officials from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) targeted by the AKP government’s political genocide operations have been protesting in front of the Council of Europe (CoE) for 3 days for Leyla Guven who has laid her body on the line. Among the activists are Filiz Kocali, former Sirnak MPs Faysal Sariyildiz and Leyla Birlik, Van MPs Tugba Hezer Ozturk and Kemal Aktas and Amed MPs Nursel Aydogan and Sibel Yigitalp.

HDP’s MPs, mayors and party administrators gathered in front of the CoE at 08:00 today and issued a call for action for Leyla Guven.

The HDP members held a banner pointing to the urgency of Leyla Guven’s situation, where she has been on a hunger strike for 78 days in the Amed Prison protesting the aggravated isolation against Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan, and chanted slogans for action.

“LAYING THEIR BODIES ON THE LINE FOR A DEMOCRATIC TURKEY AGAINST OPPRESSION”

Amed MP in the 25th and 26th term Sibel Yigitalp spoke to the ANF about the protests in front of the CoE as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe sessions continue, and pointed out that the hunger strikes are connected to the oppression policies in Turkey.

Yigitalp said Leyla Guven is on day 78 of her hunger strike while Nasir Yagiz is on day 65, and the hunger strikes in prisons, Strasbourg and Newport continue: “Looking at the situation, our friends who didn’t approve of the ongoing and past policies in Turkey and who strive for democratization in Turkey have laid their bodies on the line,” said Yigitalp and pointed out that the hunger strikes aim to defend democracy against imposed policies of oppression and annihilation.

“THE MOST NATURAL RIGHTS ARE MADE INTO POLITICAL BLACKMAIL BY THE AKP”

“We are here to voice Leyla Guven’s extremely humane, moral and before all, legal demand,” said Yigitalp and stressed that they are protesting so the PACE complies with the rules necessitated by international law.

Sibel Yigitalp said the isolation imposed upon the Kurdish People’s Leader has deepened the crisis in Turkey and the Middle East and added: “With the aggravated isolation that started on April 5, 2015, conditions of strict violence and war were instated in Turkey.”

Yigitalp said even Ocalan’s right to meet with his family and lawyers, which shouldn’t even be a point of discussion, has been turned into political blackmail by the AKP government and added: “This political blackmail has brought Turkey into a deeper chaos and crisis today.”

MILLIONS HAVE ACCEPTED HIM AS THEIR WILL

Sibel Yigitalp stated that the people have embraced Ocalan and millions have submitted petitions to the Parliament stating that Ocalan is their will, and stressed that it should be remembered that during the solution process Ocalan launched between 2013 and 2015, there were no clashes.

“THE COE AND CPT HAVE TO FULFILL THEIR RESPONSIBILITY”

Yigitalp said it shouldn’t be forgotten that the CoE and the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which was founded to stop rights violations and torture in prisons, have the right to sanction states regarding the isolation.

Yigitalp said: “The CoE and the CPT have to fulfill their responsibility. The PACE is also responsible. And of course, Turkey has a responsibility to fulfill the conditions of the international conventions the country has signed. We are protesting here to remind them of their duties.”

Yigitalp said the isolation affects millions of people directly, not just Ocalan, and that the relevant authorities should take action taking this fact into consideration as well.