Demirtas in Europe: Turkey may detain Kurdish MPs / Meeting with Martin Schul / Demirtas directed & guided by high ranking PKK Kader Faruk Eyyup Doru (Brussels)
Kurdistan24 net- 29 Spt 2016 – ERBIL, – The co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas said on Tuesday during a visit to the European capital of Brussels that Turkey could arrest some of his party’s MPs. Demirtas and a delegation accompanying him have been meeting with European Union leaders since Tuesday in Brussels, after last week’s visit to the Kurdistan Region and a series of meetings with Kurdish parties there and President Masoud Barzani.
“In the coming days, some of our MPs and even the co-chairs might be arrested and jailed. Such madness might occur. What we have heard is the authorities might go even further as they are discussing whether our party can be banned,” said Demirtas at the European Parliament according to remarks carried by the private Turkish Dogan news agency.
The HDP delegation met the President of European Parliament Martin Schulz.
The parties discussed resuming peace process between Turkey and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to a statement on the website of the HDP.
“I can say that the European Parliament (EP) is one of the most efficient institutions that closely monitor what is happening in Turkey. We want this to be a bit more materialized. For instance, the EP can develop official initiatives as to the peace process, resolution process in Turkey,” the HDP statement quoted Demirtas’s remarks at a press conference.
Demirtas warned that Turkish government’s crackdown on Kurdish politicians such as trustee appointments to the Democratic Regions’ Party (DBP)-held municipalities, arrests, and suspensions of the mayors, could drag the country “into a disaster.”
He also mentioned the DBP co-chair Kamuran Yuksek who has been behind bars for the past five months.
The HDP delegation later met with the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn.
In tweets after the meeting, Hahn said Turkey needed “genuine, constructive dialogue” that included all parties.
“Political solution of Kurdish issue as crucial as ever. HDP role key. All actors must distance themselves from any kind of violence,” tweeted Hahn that received harsh criticism from the Turkish Government.
Turkey’s Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Omer Celik who questioned HDP’s role in peace-making slammed Hahn, accusing him of equating the Turkish State with the PKK that the EU considers a terror group.
“Does the @EU_Commission consider TurkishState that runs legitimate fight vs PKKterror & PKK, bloody terroristorganisation equal?” tweeted Turkish Minister.
Demirtas also met on Wednesday with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, according to the latter’s official Twitter page.
There was no statement regarding the content of the meeting. Meanwhile, at HDP headquarters in Ankara, the party’s other co-chair Figen Yuksekdag received the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks. Kurdistan 24 bureau in Ankara said Yuksekdag and Muizniek discussed human rights violations in Turkey.