Constitutional Court to examine HDP indictment on June 21

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Having returned the first indictment, the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court will make the first examination in the closure case filed against the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on June 21.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation prepared a new indictment seeking the opposition HDP's closure and sent this indictment to the Constitutional Court on June 7, 2021. Shortly afterwards, the top court assigned a rapporteur for the case.

After the assigned rapporteur, who also examined the first indictment, completes the report regarding the first examination and submits it to the Constitutional Court, the top court will make its first examination on June 21 and decide whether the indictment will be accepted or not.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), during the first examination, the Constitutional Court will review the statements, activities and acts cited as the reason for seeking the HDP's closure, the request for a political ban on the people indicated in the indictment and whether the bank account of the party holding the treasury grants will be barred or not.

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'Rapporteur shouldn't return, but reject it'

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar talked about the closure case filed against the HDP in his weekly Parliamentary group meeting in the capital city of Ankara yesterday (June 15). He said that the rapporteur assigned by the top court should reject the indictment rather than returning it. "Accepting this indictment means sacrificing the judiciary to political operations," he added.

According to HDP Co-Chair Sancar, the Constitutional Court itself is also faced with the same responsibility and duty:

"If they accept the indictment, let's say, there is great pressure, okay, we get it, you have accepted it. But then you will reject the request for closure. If you reject it, you will always be honored as a symbol of law and justice in all modern democratic societies, not only in Turkey.

"If you accept it, it will mean that you stomach the blackmails, threats and insults of a party that got half as much as HDP's votes."

'No one should make political calculations'

Further in his speech, Sancar said, "We do not have any doubts that we will win. Because we are right. Because we have no doubts that we defend the labor, honor, welfare and freedom of these people, the peoples of Turkey. Let's say that you have closed it. No one should make calculations to derive a political advantage out of the HDP's closure in the future."

HDP Co-Chair Sancar reiterated that the ones, in the ruling and opposition parties alike, must put aside these calculations if they calculate how many votes they will get if the HDP is closed by the top court.

451 HDP politicians face political ban

Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation Bekir Şahin said the indictment seeking the HDP's closure demands a political ban for 451 HDP politicians and a cautionary judgement on the party's bank account.

"We have prepared the HDP indictment and referred it to the Constitutional Court. The following process is under the authority of the Constitutional Court. There is a 15-day examination period," said Şahin. (KÖ/SD)