Selahattin Demirtaş: I condemn the massacre of our 13 people

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Behind bars in Edirne Prison since November 2016, former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş has sent a message about the 13 police officers and soldiers who lost their lives during the Gare operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in Iraq's north.

His message has been shared on his Twitter account. "I openly condemn the massacre of our 13 people held by the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party]. I sincerely share the grief of the families and extend my condolences to them. I am really sorry for what happened," Demirtaş has said.

"It is also heedless to hold the HDP and the opposition accountable for the tragedy that unfolded as a result of an operation [carried out] with the aim of political show, rather than [using] diplomatic channels. Who needs to account to people is the government," Demirtaş has added.

"What matters is to establish peace by standing up against arms, violence and war under all circumstances," he has concluded his message.

1- PKK'nin elindeki 13 insanımızın katledilmiş olmasını açıkça kınıyorum. Ailelerin acısını yürekten paylaşıyor, kendilerine baş sağlığı diliyorum. Yaşananlardan dolayı çok üzgünüm.

— Selahattin Demirtaş (@hdpdemirtas) February 18, 2021

(EMK/SD)