EU, Germany 'concerned' over HDP closure case, MP's expulsion

HDP deputies protesting MP Gergerlioğlu's expulsion. (Photo: HDP)

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The European Union (EU) and Germany have expressed concern over the lawsuit for the closure of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and expulsion of one of the party's MPs from the parliament.

"Closing the second-largest opposition party would violate the rights of millions of voters in Turkey," EU Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell and Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said in a joint statement today (March 18).

"It adds to the EU's concerns regarding the backsliding in fundamental rights in Turkey and undermines the credibility of the Turkish authorities' stated commitment to reforms.

"As an EU candidate country and a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey urgently needs to respect its core democratic obligations, including respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

"Banning a party can only be the last resort"

Also releasing a written statement today, Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Banning a political party can only be the very last resort in a democracy. The case of the HDP raises considerable doubts as regards proportionality.

"At the end of the day, democratic decision-making processes require the legitimate representation of the opinions and interests of all citizens. A vibrant opposition is an integral part of this. We will therefore be watching further steps taken in this matter very closely.

"Yesterday's withdrawal of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu's parliamentary mandate and the criminal proceedings against numerous other parliamentarians and members of the HDP are likewise part of a development that calls the rule of law in Turkey into question.

"The Federal Government calls on Turkey to comply with the most stringent democratic and rule-of-law standards, which it has pledged to uphold as a member of the Council of Europe and as an EU accession candidate.

"We call on the HDP to clearly distance itself from the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization also in the EU."

The chief public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation yesterday submitted an indictment to the Constitutional Court for the closure of the HDP, alleging that it had become a political extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Earlier, HDP deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was stripped of MP status after his prison sentence for "terrorist propaganda" because a Twitter post was approved by the Court of Cassation. (EKN/VK)