Peoples' Democratic Party Suspends Parliamentary Activities in Turkey

In response to the arrest of 9 members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey, including two leaders of the party, representatives of this party in the Turkish Parliament have announced that they will not participate in public sessions and working committees of the parliament. The HDP, which is the third largest party in the Turkish Parliament, is the main party supporting the Kurds, and the 9 arrested members are accused by the Turkish government of membership and promoting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which the government has declared illegal. The arrests of these 9 representatives, including Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, took place last Friday and sparked protests among Turkey's Western allies and the United Nations. In this context, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, expressed deep concern over the arrests and emphasized that the detained leaders were elected by the democratic vote of the people and are trusted individuals by the EU. The arrests also drew a reaction from the UN Human Rights Office, which warned that what Turkish officials are doing under their emergency powers is 'beyond permissible limits.' The foreign ministers of the UK and Germany also reiterated their concerns about the treatment of political opponents and media activists in Turkey, with the German foreign minister stating that Turkey's fight against terrorism should not be an excuse to silence political opponents. Since the failed coup in Turkey last summer, nearly 35,000 people have been arrested, and tens of thousands of judges, prosecutors, and government employees have also been dismissed. Earlier this year, in May, the Turkish Parliament passed a bill to lift the parliamentary immunity of several representatives, paving the way for legal action against 138 parliament members, 101 of whom are members of opposition parties. At that time, Selahattin Demirtaş told reporters that 'they must forcibly arrest us. We will use all available means to counter this decision, including appealing to the Constitutional Court.' He also emphasized that lifting parliamentary immunity would exacerbate violence and undermine democratic political methods.