ANKARA, Turkey: The European Union on Thursday criticized Turkish authorities for stripping a prominent pro-Kurdish legislator of his parliamentary seat and seeking to shut down his political party, saying these moves add to concerns over the “backsliding of rights” in Turkey.
Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a human rights advocate and lawmaker from the People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, was expelled from parliament on Wednesday after an appeals court upheld his conviction on terrorist propaganda charges over a social media posting. Gergerlioglu says the case against him was politically motivated, and argues that he was unjustly stripped of his seat in parliament before Turkey’s highest court reviews his case.
Hours later, a top prosecutor filed a lawsuit with Turkey’s Constitutional Court seeking to disband the HDP for alleged ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and to bar more than 600 of its members from politics for five years.
The moves in parliament and by the prosecutor were the latest in a years-long crackdown on the second-largest opposition party in parliament. Dozens of elected HDP lawmakers and mayors — including former co-chair Selahattin Demirtas — as well as thousands of party members have been arrested on terror-related accusations.
“Closing the second largest opposition party would violate the rights of millions of voters in Turkey,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell and Oliver Varhelyi, the EU enlargement commissioner said in a joint statement. “It adds to the EU’s concerns regarding the backsliding in fundamental rights in Turkey and undermines the credibility of the Turkish authorities’ stated commitment to reforms.”
The United States also spoke out against the steps taken against Gergerlioglu and his party, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying efforts to dissolve the HDP “would unduly subvert the will of Turkish voters, further undermine democracy in Turkey, and deny millions of Turkish citizens their chosen representation.”
A senior Turkish official however, called for respect for Turkey’s judiciary and insisted the HDP has “organic ties to the PKK.”
“HDP’s senior leader and spokespeople, through their words and deeds, have repeated and consistently proved that they are the PKK’s political wing,” said Fahrettin Altun, the presidential communications director, on Twitter.
The PKK is considered a terror organization by Turkey, the EU and the US
EU slams Turkish moves against Kurdish party, legislator
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EU slams Turkish moves against Kurdish party, legislator
- Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu was expelled from parliament after an appeals court upheld his conviction on terrorist propaganda charges over a social media post
- Gergerlioglu, a human rights advocate and lawmaker from the HDP party, said the case against him was politically motivated and that he was unjustly stripped of his seat
Syrian authorities bust smuggling ring, tighten border controls
- Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
- The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
