The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue condemned the Turkish government’s ban on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The Turkish Public Prosecutor issued a decision yesterday to ban the opposition party, accusing it of having ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
The Turkish parliament has also stripped Member of Parliament, Omar Faruk Gergerlioglu, a human rights defender for PDP, from his parliamentary seat, and expelled him from the Legislative Council.
The PDP issued a statement considering what is happening as a political coup, stressing the government’s intention to exclude the party from the upcoming legislative and presidential elections, particularly in light of the difficult economic challenges that Turkey is going through.
Moreover, the Forum for Dialogue for Development and Human Rights denounces Erdogan’s use of the judiciary as a tool to reshape the political scene.
Turkey attempted to link the accusation of terrorism to the party on continuous basis, which is contrary to the truth of the matter, as Turkey carries out a systematic policy against the Kurds, in which it seeks to eliminate the Kurds and obliterate their identity through abuse, killing, accusations, restrictions on public freedoms and arbitrary dismissal from jobs. The Turkish government, for example, has banned 600 party members from practicing government work; a measure that would prevent them from forming a new party.
The violations committed by the Turkish government towards ethnic minorities continue to persist, exacerbated by the international community and the United Nations blind eye to the violations.
