European politicians call for solidarity with HDP ahead of Kobanî trial

Click to read the article in Turkish

Ahead of the first hearing of the Kobanî trial, a group of political party leaders from Europe and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have expressed solidarity and support for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) by releasing a joint statement on April 20, 2021.

'HDP's requests for inquiry rejected'

The joint statement of the European Politicians and MEPs has drawn attention to the Kobanî trial that will start on April 26.

"It is with dismay that we observe recent developments in Turkey involving systematic repression against elected politicians, and politically motivated cases against the HDP," they have said. "For years, the HDP has been calling for a parliamentary inquiry to shed light on what led to the violence, but President Erdogan's ruling AKP has always rejected this proposal.

"We stand firmly against this violation of the rule of law. It is unacceptable in a democracy to hold elected officials responsible for what happened at an event whose investigation is being actively hindered.

"We urge the public, political parties, and parliamentarians to look further into this matter," they have underlined further.

"We stand in solidarity with the HDP as it faces this systematic repression. Furthermore, we say that resistance in support of Kobani cannot be criminalised. Millions of people around the world have opposed ISIS on moral grounds, and we oppose Erdogan's policy of criminalising Kobani's resistance. As stated by the HDP's former Co-Chair, Selahattin Demirtas, 'What really devastates Erdogan is not our people who have been brutally murdered, but ISIS's defeat in Kobani'."

Indicating that because of the COVID-19 measures, many people will not be able to visit Turkey for expressing solidarity, the statement has also called on "all organisations, political parties, MPs, politicians and individuals to give a signal of support with an action of solidarity."

"Every Member of Parliament could demonstrate solidarity through various forms of action. A photo action will be held in front of the European Parliament at 15:00 that day," they have announced, adding:

"We urge anyone expressing their solidarity to share their action with the press, or by means of social networks, making a statement with the following hashtags: #SolidarityWithHDP and #DefendKobani In solidarity."

The undersigned

The Bureau of the Kurdish Friendship Group: François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA), Andreas Schieder (S&D), Nikolaj Villumsen (GUE/NGL); The European Political Parties: Heinz Bierbaum, (President of the Party of the European Left), Evelyne Huytebroeck and Thomas Waitz, (Co-chairs of the European Green Party), Lorena Lopez de Lacalle, (President of the European Free Alliance), Sergei Stanishev, (leader of the PES – Party of European Socialists).

From the Kobane indictment

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment regarding the Kobani protests that took place on October 6-8, 2014.

108 people, including the arrested former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş, were among the "suspects".

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the indictment demanded the penalization of all suspects on charges of "disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state", "killing for 37 times, "attempted killing for 31 times", "burning the flag" and "violating the Law on Protecting Atatürk."

Prepared by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the indictment was sent to the Ankara 22nd Heavy Penal Court. The court accepted the indictment on January 7, 2021.

Here are the names of all defendants: Figen Yüksekdağ, Sebahat Tuncel, Selahattin Demirtaş, Selma Irmak, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Gülfer Akkaya, Gülser Yıldırım, Gültan Kışanak, Ahmet Türk, Ali Ürküt, Alp Altınörs, Altan Tan, Ayhan Bilgen, Nazmi Gür, Ayla Akat Ata, Aysel Tuğluk, İbrahim Binici, Ayşe Yağcı, Nezir Çakan, Pervin Oduncu, Meryem Adıbelli, Mesut Bağcık, Bircan Yorulmaz, Bülent Barmaksız, Can Memiş, Cihan Erdal, Berfin Özgü Köse, Günay Kubilay, Dilek Yağlı, Emine Ayna, Emine Beyza Üstün, Mehmet Hatip Dicle, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Yurdusev Özsökmenler, Arife Köse, Ayfer Kordu, Aynur Aşan, Ayşe Tonğuç, Azime Yılmaz, Bayram Yılmaz, Bergüzar Dumlu, Cemil Bayık, Ceylan Bağrıyanık, Cihan Ekin, Demir Çelik, Duran Kalkan, Elif Yıldırım, Emine Tekas, Emine Temel, Emrullah Cin, Engin Karaaslan, Enver Güngör, Ercan Arslan, Fatma Şenpınar, Fehman Hüseyin, Ferhat Aksu, Filis Arslan, Filiz Duman, Gönül Tepe, Gülseren Törün, Gülten Alataş, Gülüşan Eksen, Gülüzar Tural, Güzel İmecik, Hacire Ateş, Hatice Altınışık, Hülya Oran, İsmail Özden, İsmail Şengül, Kamuran Yüksek, Layika Gültekin, Leyla Söğüt Aydeniz, Mahmut Dora, Mazhar Öztürk, Mazlum Tekdağ, Abdulselam Demirkıran, Mehmet Taş, Mehmet Tören, Menafi Bayazit, Mızgın Arı, Murat Karayılan, Mustafa Karasu, Muzaffer Ayata, Nazlı Taşpınar, Neşe Baltaş, Nihal Ay, Nuriye Kesbir, Remzi Kartal, Rıza Altun, Ruken Karagöz, Sabiha Onar, Sabri Ok, Salih Akdoğan, Salih Müslüm Muhammed, Salman Kurtulan, Sara Aktaş, Sibel Akdeniz, Şenay Oruç, Ünal Ahmet Çelen, Yahya Figan, Yasemin Becerekli, Yusuf Koyuncu, Yüksel Baran, Zeki Çelik, Zeynep Karaman, Zeynep Ölbeci, Zübeyir Aydar.

About Kobani protests

Before the protests held to support Kobani in northern Syria in 2014, those who were waiting in the district of Suruç, Urfa in southeastern Turkey and wanted to cross the border were intervened with pepper gas and rubber bullets. In the meantime, some pictures allegedly showing ISIS militia crossing the border of Turkey were published.

President and ruling AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made statements indicating that they equated PKK with ISIS. While the wounded coming from Kobani were kept waiting on the border, the wounded from ISIS were treated at hospitals. Several news reports were reported in the press, saying "Kobani fell." These news reports were denied every time.

After the HDP made a call to take to the streets against a possible massacre in Kobani, thousands of people protested in Kurdish-majority provinces as well as Ankara and İstanbul. While left parties also supported these protests, deaths also occurred with the onset of police violence. Street conflicts ensued. 42 people lost their lives from October 6 to 12, 2014.

According to a report by the Human Rights Association (İHD), 46 people died, 682 people were wounded and 323 people were arrested in the protests held between September 7 and 12, 2014. As reported by the AA, 31 people lost their lives, 221 citizens and 139 police officers were wounded.

(EMK/SD)