"Students Who Skipped School" Boycott Parliament in Turkey

• 11.07.2016, 20:22
•  Region,  World

AA photo

Turkish authorities continue using "the fight against terrorism" to neutralize different oppositional forces. Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has again become the target in recent days.

Selahattin Demirtaș and Figen Yüksekdağ, the two joint leaders of HDP have been detained on November 4 along with 11 MPs because of their rejection to give testimony for crimes linked to "terrorist propaganda", the Guardian reports. Ankara accuses the HDP’s politicians of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as well as supporting terrorism.  

In reply HDP decided to halt all parliamentary works. The representative of the party said that they decided "to halt their legislative efforts in light of the most extensive and the darkest attack in their history", Hurriyet Daily News reports. The further steps will be decided after the discussions with people.

According to the Turkish authorities, the HDP’s decision will "not affect legislative works negatively." Moreover, Turkish Prime Minister compared HDP’s MPs to the "students who skipped school."

The US and EU have already expressed their "deep concern" over the arrest of the deputies. But Turkey’s President does not care, according to Hurriyet.  "I don’t care if they call me a dictator or whatever else. It goes in one ear, out the other," Erdoğan said

It is not excluded that the new wave of repressions against HDP is conditioned by the ongoing work on the draft of the new Constitution Turkey’s ruling party now holds discussions on it with opposition forces and in this context AK Party does not need HDP’s "excessive activity".