Ayşe Acar Başaran, spokeswoman for the HDP Women's Council, spoke at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Ankara on daily political issues. The MP accused the Erdogan government of spending all public funds on military operations while the population is becoming increasingly impoverished.

"We are in a 17-day lockdown. A large part of the population is facing great difficulties as a result, but the lockdown has no effect on fascism. We are experiencing a time when violent criminals and misogynists can move around comfortably and people are going hungry. While the country and its people have no air to breathe, the government continues its security policies and military operations. In the last ten years, security spending has increased by 86 percent. Taxes are not spent on jobs, bread, and vaccines for the population, but instead go to war. Cross-border military operations are taking place. Because of the anti-Kurdish policy, Islamists abroad are financed from the public budget. Investments are made in killer drones, while the children of the poor are still excluded from distance education because they do not have digital devices. And the government boasts about its armed drones. For the population, this policy means hunger and poverty. In this country, people commit suicide every day because of hunger and poverty. The government is trying to distract from this with its war policy," Başaran said.

The HDP politician also denounced the increasing violence against women: "When the first Corona cases appeared in the country, we had demanded protective measures from the government and explained that women are the most affected by wars and crises. We had pointed out that violence against women and women's unemployment increased during the pandemic because women were always the first to be out of sight during crises. Unfortunately, everything has turned out as we predicted. We have all seen how the pandemic has affected women in terms of violence, unemployment and poverty."

Başaran stressed that the HDP will continue to stand up for all women who are affected by male and state violence. This includes fighting to preserve the Istanbul Convention, she said. "We are in a time when women need to stand together more than ever. Our fought-for achievements are in danger," added the spokeswoman for the HDP Women's Council.