- Hansjoerg Haber the European Union’s envoy to Turkey resigned over tensions of the migration deal. Also Kati Piri, the European Parliament (EP) Rapporteur for Turkey said “”The European Parliament will never sign the visa agreement if you (Selahattin Demirtas) or your colleagues (HDP parliamentarians) are imprisoned.” During a panel discussion in the EP Foreign Relations Committee in Brussels Addressing HDP Co-chair. EU’s tension with Turkey grew more in the past year over migration, Kurdish conflict and freedom of speech.
- Clashes continue in between the Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in south east. Clashes broke out in Gevas of Van province, Shemdinli of Hakkarri province, Lice district of Amed province (DiyarBakr), Mush of Mush province Pervari district of Siirt province and Shirnak province. According to PKK media, Turkish Aerial bombards targeted Lice district. Meanwhile Kurdistan Communities’ Union (KCK) stressed that “the Kurdish Freedom Movement will have no talks with any political power unless the Kurdish existence is clearly recognized and the free and democratic living of Kurds is accepted.”
- Ankara Public Prosecutor called for 486 year prison of the Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas. As part of Turkish government efforts to strip HDP’s elected representatives of their immunities, “criminal records” will be presented against Demirtas. In June 15, police raided our Co-Chair Figen Yuksekdag’s house and carried out a search.
- Turkish authorities detained three prominent journalists for their role in a campaign of solidarity with the pro-Kurdish Özgür Gündem newspaper. The three journalists are Erol Önderoglu, Turkey’s representative for media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders, RSF); Şebnem Korur Financı, president of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT); and journalist and author Ahmet Nesin. Watch links etc. via www.mesop.de