Turkey Minister likens imprisoned Kurdish lawmakers to rats

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Turkey’s Economy Minister Nihat Zeybecki on Sunday likened the imprisoned Kurdish lawmakers of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) to sewer-rats.

“The State of the Republic of Turkey caught them by the neck like rats coming out of the sewage then took them to court. The independent courts and judges of this country did what was necessary,” Zeybekci said.

Turkish anti-terror police units arrested HDP’s co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas, Figen Yuksekdag and 10 other lawmakers in house raids in at least six cities during early hours of Nov. 4.

Authorities later released three of the MPs, but detained and imprisoned Nihat Akdogan of the Hakkari Province three days later, raising the number of Kurdish lawmakers charged with terror-related crimes in prison to 10.

The Economy Minister, who previously claimed the aim of the failed July 15 coup attempt by a clique within the Turkish Army was the creation of a state of Kurdistan, accused the Kurdish politicians of “engaging in nothing but treason.”

Zeybekci was speaking to a public gathering in the Turkish city of Denizli according to the private-owned Dogan news agency which carried his remarks.

In response, HDP’s spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen said the insults against his party’s leaders and lawmakers were directed against their constituency of six million people.

“It is clear this person’s mind, as well as his tongue, are in the sewage,” continued Bilgen at a press conference in Istanbul without mentioning Zeybekci’s name, reported the Kurdistan24 bureau there.

The HDP has 59 seats in total at the Turkish Parliament per the result of the November 2015 general elections.

Imprisonment of HDP lawmakers attracted strong international voicing of concern, particularly by the European Union officials and diplomats who had to bear the brunt of accusations of supporting terrorism by Turkish leaders.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany