Lawyers' groups say Ministry of Interior responsible for the armed attack on HDP

Deniz Poyraz was taken hostage and subsequently shot dead by the assailant.

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Twelve lawyers' groups have released a joint statement after yesterday's (June 17) attack on the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) provincial office in İzmir.

The assailant, Onur Gencer, shot dead party employee Deniz Poyraz, who was the only person in the office at the time of the attack, and attempted to set the building on fire. He was detained shortly after the attack and referred to the court today.

He appears to be a nationalist as he has photos while displaying the "grey wolf" sign on his Instagram account. He also has photos in Syria with weapons.

CLICK - Crime scene report on the attack against HDP İzmir office

"The ruling bloc's intimidating discourse and threats towards the opposition, especially the HDP, and their mouthpieces terrorizing the HDP on live broadcasts every day paved the way for Deniz's murder," says the statement.

The groups said President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who praised an attempted attack on an opposition leader three weeks ago, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli, who targeted the Constitutional Court after it returned an indictment for the closure of the HDP, and those "who allowed provocation at the hearing of HDP politicians" organized the process that led to Poyraz's killing.

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The lawyers' groups pointed to the Ministry of Interior for the "provocation" at the hearing of the Kobanî case, where more than 100 HDP members face an aggravated life sentence for allegedly organizing the violent protests in 2014. Some people were allowed in the courtroom as "plaintiffs" and they chanted slogans during the hearing, they noted.

The groups noted that the assailant was able to enter the building with a weapon despite a "police checkpoint, police vehicles and dozens of police officers whose duty is to 'protect' the HDP."

"We know from his photos and racist statements he shared on his social media accounts that the killer of Deniz is not alone. We know this from the Ankara Massacre, Suruç, Diyarbakır and other massacres," said the lawyers.

"We remind that ... the state is responsible for protecting the right to life of every single person and it is necessary to avoid discriminatory statements against the HDP and HDP members to put an end to such acts."

CLICK - All reports on the HDP attack

The statement was signed by the following groups: Lawyers for Justice, the Lawyers' Solidarity, the Progressive Lawyers' Association (ÇHD) İstanbul Branch, the Contemporary Lawyers' Group, Lawyers for Democracy, Participatory Attorneys, Social Law, Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) İstanbul Branch, Libertarian Democratic Lawyers and the Foundation of Social and Legal Research. (EMK/VK)