Probe into Demirtaş, Yüksekdağ Over ‘Call for March’

Click here to read the article in Turkish / Haberin Türkçesi için buraya tıklayın

Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecution Bureau of Anti-Terror Crime Investigation, has launched probe into Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Kamuran Yüksek over “calling people to take it to the street” in their press meeting yesterday (March 1).

According to reports on newspapers, in case “crime element is found” in the investigation, summary of proceedings will be submitted to the parliament to lift Demirtaş’ parliamentary immunity.

According to Fırat News Agency, co-chairs of DTK, HDK, HDP, and DBP in their joint statement called on the march to be staged today against the curfews and operations in Sur.

What did Demirtaş say?

Selahattin Demirtaş said the following in his speech he made in Diyarbakır:

“We are at the moment in another neighborhood of Sur. Clashes, operations are ongoing 100 meters ahead of us.

“Meeting and dialogues have been held on as democratic political institutes in the presence of government in Ankara, and on local level in Diyarbakır to not let conflict grow, destructions and deaths increase.

“Unfortunately, our efforts haven’t produced results. Hundreds of people in Sur have lost their lives because of the understanding AKP (Justice and Development Party) has at presently imposed on.

“We don’t see conducting a war for 24 hours a day for three months in the middle of the city as a normal situation. All Diyarbakır community should be on their feet to have the blockade in Sur removed.

“Everyone shall march towards Sur on Wednesday (today) at 4 p.m. This is a democratic right in neighborhood and districts. Our request of our people is to be determined and insistent. Everyone shall say we will not step back before the blockade is removed. This is our call for all NGOs, trade bodies, worker and artisan organizations, and all foundations in our city.

“Our demand is clear. The blockade shall be removed”.

What did Yüksek say?

DBP Co-Chair Yüksek spoke as follows:

“We have to say stop against this reckless policies of the government. We shall put forth the power at some point to stop this. Sur is the final point in this matter and we must be able to remove, break the blockade on Sur.

“Protests, rallies, events are being increasingly staged in the curfew-imposed district of Diyarbakır. Rage is also increasingly growing.

“We don’t think the government would be indifferent should people from each neighborhood, street of the city join the rally, millions march and voice their demand.

“That will mean a mass pressure. That will mean a huge political pressure and we will have it concluded. But if the state resorts to violence, incidents in Sur will produce so much more disastrous results. For this reason, we definitely [believe] the government should not resort to violence against democratic demands of these people”.

Call from MPs to the government

Member of Parliaments Solidarity Group for Democracy in its press statement held yesterday called on the government to not intervene in the march.

The statement underlining that the march is “democratic and peaceful”, urges the government to provide the security of the march.