Turkey detains HDP Diyarbakır provincial co-chairs in latest crackdown on party

Turkish police on Oct. 22 raided the HDP's Diyarbakır provincial building and Yenişehir district building and detained the four co-chairs. The raids were launched upon the instructions of the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in a latest crackdown on the party.

Thursday October 22 2020 08:20 pm

Duvar English

Turkish police on Oct. 22 raided the headquarters of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır as well as the branch office of the district of Yenişehir.

The raids, the reasons of which have been yet revealed, were undertaken upon the instructions of the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The police circled the two buildings and did not allow party executives to enter them.

As a result of the two operations, the police detained HDP Diyarbakır provincial co-chairs Hülya Alökmen Uyanık and Zeyat Ceylan as well as HDP Yenişehir district co-chairs Kasım Kaya and Remziye Sızıcı.

As Ceylan and Uyanık were waiting to be detained, they recorded a video, which was shared by the HDP's Twitter account. Uyanık said in her statement that they have been “experiencing these oppressions and tyranny for a long time now and are determined to fight against this.”

The HDP's Twitter account said in its statement: “The rulership continues to commit crime against the democratic politics. As our provincial co-chairs Zeyat Ceylan and Hülya Alökmen, who have been detained in an unlawful way, have stated, you will not be able to prevent this struggle.”

İktidar demokratik siyasete karşı suç işlemeye devam ediyor. Hukuksuz bir şekilde gözaltına alınan İl Eş Başkanlarımız Zeyat Ceylan ve Hülya Alökmen’in de ifade ettiği gibi bu mücadeleyi engelleyemeyeceksiniz!

Çi dikin bikin hûn nikarin pêşî li azadî, aştî û demokrasiyê bigrin. pic.twitter.com/dchbPzAUdt
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) October 22, 2020

HDP Diyarbakır lawmaker Semra Güzel said that there is not a single logical reason why these raids were undertaken. “There is not a single reason why they have raided, entered and carried out a search in front of the provincial [HDP] building which they have been keeping guard for 24/7. This is not anything else other than trying to criminalize [the HDP]. The HDP did not bow down to you and will not!” she wrote on Twitter.

24 saat kapılarında nöbet tuttukları il binasını basıp içeri girip arama yapmanın bir tek mantıklı nedeni yok. Bu kriminalize etmeye çalışmaktan başka bir şey değil.
HDP size boyun eğmedi, eğmez! https://t.co/5I0GfsFEgO
— Semra Güzel (@semraguzelhdp) October 22, 2020

The latest crackdown on the party came after dozens of its members, including co-mayors of the eastern province of Kars, were arrested over 2014 Kobana protests six years later earlier this month.