A year after Turkey crackdown, pro-Kurdish party appeals to supreme court

ANKARA, Turkey (Kurdistan24) - Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers on Wednesday staged a protest ın front of Turkey's Constitutional Court in Ankara, demanding the freedom of their imprisoned co-leader Selahattin Demirtas and lawmakers.

About 15 HDP MPs gathered in front of the high court, carrying pictures of their jailed colleagues, reported a Kurdistan 24 correspondent in Ankara.

On November 4, a year will have passed since a massive crackdown on the Kurdish politics began with the Turkish police units arresting Demirtas and 12 other lawmakers during night raids on their houses in the Turkish capital of Ankara and the Kurdish cities of Diyarbakir, Sirnak, Hakkari, Van, and Bingol.

Speaking to reporters, HDP's Istanbul MP Filiz Kerestecioglu reminded that of the detainees nine remained in jail, five of them already kicked out of the parliament over conviction in "terror-related" trials.

She stated that during the past year in total 27 of 59 lawmakers faced arrest, while authorities held 309 trials for those jailed, including Demirtas and the party's former Co-leader Figen Yuksekdag.

Prosecutors have asked hundreds of years of imprisonment for the pro-Kurdish representatives since, with Demirtas facing up to 142 years on the grounds of "membership and collaboration" with banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that is waging a guerrilla war against the Turkish state for self-rule.

"This country is now a prison for lawmakers. This country is a prison for journalists, academics, and teachers," Kerestecioglu said.

She accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of ordering the police operations and judicial proceedings against her party.

"With a swift move, after Erdogan said 'they must pay a price' and 'their immunity must be lifted,' judiciary prepared over 500 dossiers [against] HDP," she said.

Erdogan alleges that the HDP that challenged his rule in June 2017 elections with a victory denying him the formation of a one-party government is a political front for the PKK, a charge HDP has rejected.

The parliament lifted MP immunity from prosecution in May 2016, a move that has disproportionately targeted the HDP, although there are ongoing investigations against members of Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and other parties.

Mithat Sancar, a representative for the Mardin Province, urged the Constitutional court to abide by its previous rulings regarding the imprisonment of MPs and said the institution must protect "its honor," in defying what he said were orders.

A Ministry of Justice response to an inquiry by the HDP recently designated Demirtas as "a militant," reminding of Erdogan's early labeling of him as a "terrorist."

The Kurdish leader has previously said he was a “hostage” because of his stance against what he described as Erdogan’s plans of forging “a one-man rule” in Turkey.

The ongoing crackdown on the HDP has seen along with MPs, 80 mayors, and thousands of its members arrested.

Editing by Sam A.

(Kurdistan 24's Ankara bureau contributed to this report.)