Mogherini: We Called on Turkey to Take Steps to Ensure Güven's Safety

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High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini has responded to Sinn Féin Member of the European Parliament Martina Anderson's letter about Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP and Democratic Society Congress Co-Chair Leyla Güven, who has been on a hunger strike for 117 days.

Leyla Güven has been on a hunger strike with the demand that the isolation on the Kurdistan Workers' Party' (PKK) imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan be lifted.

"EU expects Turkey to release MPs"

Mogherini said the following in her letter:

"Esteemed colleague,

I would like to thank you for your letter about Leyla Guven, who is on a hunger strike due to her concerns about Abdullah Ocalan's conditions in prison.

Considering her deteriorating health, her recent release from prison is a positive step. We will continue to closely monitor the developments and to share our concerns about Leyla Guven and people in a similar situation with Turkish officials as part of our bi- and multi-lateral dialogues. We have done so in the most recent EU statement in the PACE Permanent Council. We called on Turkish authorities to take steps to ensure Leyla Guven's safety.

Turkey is a candidate country to the EU and a founding member of the Council of Europe. The EU expects Turkey to protect its parliamentary democracy by releasing MPs on remand and reinstating parliamentary immunity as per the proposal by the Venice Commission and ECHR ruling.

The EU believes absolutely that a sustainable solution in southeastern Turkey must be based on a reliable political process, and is ready to offer help to return to a peace process."

(AS/VK)