Turkish police detain DEM Party local chairs following ‘halay’ protest

Duvar English

Turkish police on July 30 detained at least 13 people in the eastern Van province, including the branch co-chairs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party.

DEM Party’s Van co-chairs Veysi Dilekçi and Gülşen Kurt, the party’s Edremit district co-chair Cemil Baydar, Hanım Kaya from the Association for Solidarity with Families Who Lost Their Relatives in the Cradle of Civilizations (MEBYA-DER), Aynur Sarıca from the Free Women's Movement (TJA), Peace Mothers Sarya Süer, Hazal Süer, Münife Kaçak, Adem Onat, Fazıl Numaş, Tahir Artim, and Selma Cintan were detained in early morning raids. 

The DEM Party Van Provincial Organization reported that the exact number of detainees was unknown and that a confidentiality order was placed on the investigation. Additionally, a 24-hour ban on lawyer visits was imposed on those detained.

The DEM Party Van provincial organization on July 29 held a protest and issued a press statement in front of the party building regarding the detentions that took place in several provinces over the last week for people dancing to Kurdish songs. The protesters danced the “halay” in front of the party building, protesting the arbitrary detentions. 

Police intervened upon the group dancing halay for chanting slogans and many people took refuge in the garden, where they were surrounded by police for about an hour. Negotiations led to the controlled release of the protesters in groups of ten.

Many of those detained today were known to have participated in yesterday's protest. DEM Party co-chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları made statements on social media about the morning detentions and the events of the previous day.

Bakırhan stated, “These unjust and unlawful actions, part of the ongoing hostility towards Kurds that began with the erasure of Kurdish writings on the streets and the crackdown on the halay, must end immediately.”

He continued, “Our friends should be released. We do not accept this fascist mentality. These attacks are not only against the DEM Party or a group but also against democratic politics, diverse thoughts, and identities. These attacks target the will of the people of Van. These attacks serve hostility against Kurds and societal division. These attacks will not intimidate or silence us! We will never abandon our just cause.”

Hatimoğulları stated, “We do not accept these actions, which are the result of racist practices against the Kurdish language, culture, and identity. Release our friends immediately. Dancing halay is not a crime, Kurdish traffic signs are not a crime, and press statements are not a crime. All these are minimum democratic rights. Abandon this irrationality. I call on all sensible public circles: Stand against these arbitrary policies and open hostility, and raise your voices.”

The DEM Party's Van branch organized a protest against the detentions at 2 p.m. A large number of police officers were deployed in the street where the party building is located. Before, during, and after the statement, a police helicopter flew over the DEM Party building.

The press statement, held under a banner reading "Political ploys cannot intimidate us," was attended by DEM Party Van MP Mahmut Dindar, Van Metropolitan Municipality co-mayors Neslihan Şedal and Abdullah Zeydan, and many provincial and district officials from the DEM Party and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), along with numerous supporters.

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