13-Month Power Cut at Diyarbakır Djemevi on Parliamentary Agenda

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Musa Farisoğulları has submitted two separate Parliamentary questions to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), asking the power cut at Diyarbakır Djemevi [Alevis' place of worship] and the personnel dismissed from Diyarbakır Kayapınar Municipality by the state-appointed trustee.

In his Parliamentary question on Diyarbakır Djemevi, Farisoğulları has underlined that djemevis have been excluded from the places of worship whose annual electrical expenses are to be met by the funds of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. Referring to a European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) verdict dated 2016, the MP has emphasized that the court expressed an opinion in favor of "recognizing djemevis as places of worship".

In his second Parliamentary question, Farisoğulları has indicated that after a trustee was appointed to the Municipality of Kayapınar, its six workers have been dismissed on the ground that they applauded in protest when the police did not allow the municipality personnel to enter the building.

'How will you resolve the electricity problem?'

Referring to the 13-month power cut at Diyarbakır Djemevi, Farisoğlu has stated, "This problem needs to be resolved immediately, as required by the principle of equal standing of all faiths".

Accordingly, he has asked Vice President Fuat Oktay the following questions about the power cut at Diyarbakır Djemevi:

• Will any action be taken to resolve the power-cut problem in Diyarbakır Djemevi?
• Will any work be planned to recognize djemevis as places of worship and to meet the necessary requests and needs?
• Will any planning be done in accordance with the opinion expressed by the ECtHR in the context of religious equality?

'On what official grounds were they dismissed?'

HDP MP has addressed his second Parliamentary question about dismissed municipality personnel to Vice President Oktay as well:

• On what official grounds were six municipality workers dismissed?
• Is it true that municipality personnel were dismissed because they applauded in protest when they were not allowed to enter the municipality building to start working? If so, on which regulation is it written that applauding in protest is a reason for dismissal?
• Will any action be taken about the reinstatement of six dismissed municipality personnel?
• Does the Ministry plan to introduce a regulation to protect the personnel from mobbing and to secure their rights?

(TP/SD)