Roth: freedom of press, as well as Kurdish politicians, under arrest
Roth: freedom of press, as well as Kurdish politicians, under arrest
Visiting Diyarbakýr Mayor Osman Baydemir, German-Turkish Friendship Group Deputy Chairman Claudia Roth said; “The arrest of 100 representatives means the arrest of the people who elected them”.
During her visit Roth was accompanied by deputies Johannes Kahrs, Sevim Daðdelen, Stefanie Vogelsang, Karin Evers-Meyer, Serkan Tören and Federal Assembly official Cordula Klinger. Baydemir remarked that the Kurdish politics, Turkey and the Middle East were going through hard times.
Baydemir underlined that the recent developments couldn’t be expressed with wisdom, law and conscience and remarked that almost all BDP mayors in Þýrnak were arrested in the last month.
Baydemir called attention to Prime Minister Erdoðan’s words regarding the “Arab spring” and said that the arrest of legal politicians was an unacceptable double standard for the Kurdish people while the Prime Minister was giving democracy lessons to Syrian, Egyptian and Libyan regimes and urge them to take the needs and demands of the people into consideration. “All democratic activities are taken as illegal and activists as ‘guilty’, added Baydemir and expressed that he had concerns about more arrests after Erdoðan’s statements that BDP municipalities receive money from German foundations. Baydemir noted that 100 elected mayors and members of councils and provincials assemblies were currently under arrest. “We are facing a delay in the sensitivity of both Turkey’s and the world’s conscience since we didn’t get an active response to our scream that these arrests can’t solve injustice or any other matter and don’t reflect the reality” added Baydemir.
German-Turkish Friendship Group Deputy Chairman Claudia Roth also expressed her concern about the recent developments and underlined that the forth power in the struggle, the press, had an important role in the process. Roth called attention to the fact that more than 70 journalists are currently in jail, Ahmet Þýk and Nedim Þener for instance, and expressed her concern since “The freedom of press is under arrest in Turkey”, she added. Roth stated that the Kurdish issue was of great importance for Turkey in terms of the democracy problem and added; “Turkey will go through hard times if there will be no hope for democracy and brotherhood. Our relatives are in jail.”
Roth expressed that they were hopeful about the new constitution process which would include all parties and mentioned Erdoðan’s statements about German foundations. “The works by these foundations provide support to the civil society, not to particular segments or to the organization as the Prime Minister said. These statements and incriminating are unacceptable and unfair. Some foundations work with unions and environmentalist associations while some others are interested in the substructure and these works will continue as Turkey also gains favor within this frame” added Roth.
During her visit Roth was accompanied by deputies Johannes Kahrs, Sevim Daðdelen, Stefanie Vogelsang, Karin Evers-Meyer, Serkan Tören and Federal Assembly official Cordula Klinger. Baydemir remarked that the Kurdish politics, Turkey and the Middle East were going through hard times.
Baydemir underlined that the recent developments couldn’t be expressed with wisdom, law and conscience and remarked that almost all BDP mayors in Þýrnak were arrested in the last month.
Baydemir called attention to Prime Minister Erdoðan’s words regarding the “Arab spring” and said that the arrest of legal politicians was an unacceptable double standard for the Kurdish people while the Prime Minister was giving democracy lessons to Syrian, Egyptian and Libyan regimes and urge them to take the needs and demands of the people into consideration. “All democratic activities are taken as illegal and activists as ‘guilty’, added Baydemir and expressed that he had concerns about more arrests after Erdoðan’s statements that BDP municipalities receive money from German foundations. Baydemir noted that 100 elected mayors and members of councils and provincials assemblies were currently under arrest. “We are facing a delay in the sensitivity of both Turkey’s and the world’s conscience since we didn’t get an active response to our scream that these arrests can’t solve injustice or any other matter and don’t reflect the reality” added Baydemir.
German-Turkish Friendship Group Deputy Chairman Claudia Roth also expressed her concern about the recent developments and underlined that the forth power in the struggle, the press, had an important role in the process. Roth called attention to the fact that more than 70 journalists are currently in jail, Ahmet Þýk and Nedim Þener for instance, and expressed her concern since “The freedom of press is under arrest in Turkey”, she added. Roth stated that the Kurdish issue was of great importance for Turkey in terms of the democracy problem and added; “Turkey will go through hard times if there will be no hope for democracy and brotherhood. Our relatives are in jail.”
Roth expressed that they were hopeful about the new constitution process which would include all parties and mentioned Erdoðan’s statements about German foundations. “The works by these foundations provide support to the civil society, not to particular segments or to the organization as the Prime Minister said. These statements and incriminating are unacceptable and unfair. Some foundations work with unions and environmentalist associations while some others are interested in the substructure and these works will continue as Turkey also gains favor within this frame” added Roth.
