HDP women hold online meeting with Swedish MPs

The ever-increasing violence against women in the run-up to 8 March International Women's Day and targeted attacks on the HDP’s women politicians and the Kurds in Turkey were debated.

The HDP Women's Diplomacy Commission held an online meeting with the Swedish Left Party and Social Democratic Party MPs.

HDP Women's Assembly Spokeswoman Ayşe Acar Başaran, Foreign Relations Commission Co-Spokeswoman Feleknas Uca, HDP Women's Diplomacy Commission Spokeswoman Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit and HDP Amed Deputy and TJA activist Semra Güzel organized the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Swedish Left Party MPs and Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Lotta Johnsson Fornarve, Foreign Policy Spokesperson Håkan Svenneling, European Relations Spokeswoman Ilona Waldau, Left Party International Forum Member Yekbun Alp, Communication Spokeswoman Elin Gustafsson, Education Spokeswoman Gudrun Brunegård, Member of the European Parliament and Council Ola Möller, Social Democratic Party MP Woman Spokesperson and Council of Europe Member Carina Olsson.

At the meeting, the ever-increasing violence against women in the run-up to 8 March International Women's Day and targeted attacks on the HDP’s women politicians and the Kurds in Turkey were debated.

HDP Women's Assembly Spokeswoman Ayse Basaran Acer talked about the strip-searches and the crackdown on the women’s movement in Turkey and the Kurdish cities.

Reminding that HDP Ağrı MP Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir was targeted by Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Başaran said, "In this country, the words of the Minister of Interior and the President are regarded as a law and the judiciary acts accordingly."

HDP Amed MP and TJA activist Semra Güzel spoke on the arrest of TJA Spokesperson Ayşe Gökkan, and the repression against the Kurdish women's movement in the last 6 years and the attacks on women's gains.

The Swedish politicians stated that women should act together to resolve the problems that have been aggravated particularly following the coronavirus pandemic all over the world.