Bahçeli once again says HDP, Turkish Medical Association should be closed

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli, an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, continued to target the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Turkish Medical Association (TTB).

"We don't want terrorists in the [parliament]," he told his party's parliamentary group today (January 11). "We can't stand seeing the HDP, which recruits members for the terrorist organization, even for one more second in the Turkish political and democratic life."

"We expect the Constitutional Court to fulfill its duty," Bahçeli remarked, referring to the closure case filed against the party.

Erdoğan and Bahçeli often accuse the HDP of being the "political extension" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

About HDP deputy Semra Güzel, who is facing losing her legislative immunity, Bahçeli said, "Her immunity should be lifted. Terrorist lovers are in the corridors of the parliament."

Recently, photos of Güzel with a PKK member who was killed in 2017 emerged. Güzel said the photos were taken in 2014, when Erdoğan's government was running a "resolution process" to the Kurdish question.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared a summary of proceedings against the MP, charging her with "being a member of a terrorist organization."

The summary of proceedings was sent to the Ministry of Justice, which will refer it to the parliament for a vote.

Turkovac and the Turkish Medical Association

Bahçeli targeted the TTB because of its criticism about Turkovac, Turkey's domestic coronavirus vaccine.

"The organization named the Turkish Medical Association, which is the disgrace of medicine, has repeatedly proven that it is of no use other than to denigrate Turkey," he remarked.

CLICK - TTB raises concerns over lack of scientific publications about Turkey's domestic Covid vaccine 

"This organization, which claims that there are no Phase-1, Phase-2 and Phase-3 studies of the Turkovac vaccine, which got an emergency use approval, is like the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

"It is regrettable that such a professional organization, which has become so alienated from its country, still continues its activities. Despite the fact that Turkovac's 3-phase study has been done, to deny this is downright lying. If not today, when will the Turkish Medical Association be closed?"

Following the emergency approval of the Turkovac in late December, the TTB had pointed out that no sufficient scientific information and data about the vaccine had been shared with the public. (AÖ/VK)