The 10-member delegation found all roads closed to them as authorities did not want the deputies to reach the fire areas. 

The deputies then returned to the center of Dersim in order to protest against the obstacles and made a statement at Seyit Rıza Square.

HDP Group President Ayhan Bilgen said in the statement that “Dersim is extremely free and safe, everything is going well, but it seems we are the problem. First we tried to go near the fire, but we were blocked, then we tried to pass through the Çiçekli region, again blocked. They blocked the venture, even though there were no instructions or concrete decisions. Then we tried to go through Çemişgezek. We came not to share our opinion here but to show what is going on to the world”.

Bilgen added: “Dersim fires are not even on the website of the Ministry of Forests. This means covering up the crime, hiding it. 

If you are not guilty, why don’t you let us go and check? A month and a half ago, before the Assembly closed, we as a parliamentary group brought this issue to the agenda and we were told that there were no fires, during the [military] operations”. 

The HDP group president said: “We will go back to Ankara and meet with associations who are sensitive to this issue. There will be a similar meeting in Istanbul and we will attend it. The fires here are unacceptable. It is also unacceptable to block the initiative of 10 deputies. We ask people who are trying to teach us democracy lessons this: What have we done today? We tried to come out without saying anything to try and put out the fire. They tried to obstruct us, so they tried to cover up their crimes”.