DTK, KJA, HDP and DBP protested DBP Co-chair Sebahat Tuncel being battered and detained in the protest against the arrests of HDP Co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ. The meeting was held in the DBP Headquarters Consultancy Bureau and DBP Co-chair Kamuran Yüksek, Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven, HDP MPs, Kongreya Jinên Azad (KJA) representatives and party officials attended the meeting. Yüksek spoke in the meeting and said they spoke on the ongoing coup almost every day in front of the press and that alone was enough to summarize the situation in the country.

“Everyday, it’s either a co-mayor being arrested, or a MP, or like yesterday, our co-chairs,” said Yüksek and stated that they had to keep repeating the coup was an ongoing process. Yüksek underlined that there wasn’t a State of Emergency but a coup administration, and said: “Turkey is ruled by a junta. And the law is a coup law. In the last year, thousands of our members, public worker and teachers were detained and arrested. Or they were removed from duty. The public in Turkey must see this fact. There is a coup in process and it’s carried out by the AKP administration.”

“THE COUP FOCUSES ON KURDS”

Yüksek stated that all media organs and the social media was closed for them, and that they didn’t know how much they can make their voice heard anymore. Yüksek emphasized that all objective journals, TV networks and agencies were shut down and continued: “But we will visit every house on every street against these obstacles and tell people about this process. The coup mainly focuses on us, the Kurdish people. They want to break the will of the Kurdish people. Because AKP decided that, as long as the Kurdish people preserve their struggle for freedom they can’t run about as they like, they think Turkey deserves the current events and they are targeting every group. Until now, 30 of our co-mayors have been removed from duty and trustees have been appointed in their stead. With the attack on the HDP and the November 4 coup, they want to push us out of the parliament.”

Yüksek said the AKP tells Kurds that they have no place in the parliament, they can’t take part in seeking a solution to problems and that they should go take care of themselves, and continued: “Our co-chair being taken hostage yesterday also shows the attack on Kurds. When you look at the Middle East, you can see its importance for Kurds. But the AKP is looking for ways to stop the Kurds, hinder Rojava, and hinder the Kurds in Iraq. In both domestic and foreign spheres, there is an intense attack against Kurds.”

“AKP WILL CRUMBLE UNDER WHAT THEY DO”

Yükses said they needed to make more strategic assessments and that Turkey is on the brink of a new fragmentation. “We are putting forth our stance. The Prime Minister’s stance is without merit. Look at the President’s and the Prime Minister’s stances and you will understand us,” said Yüksek and continued: “AKP will have to step back from their mistake. It’s not us that act like elementary school children, it’s them. They don’t have the authority to meddle in a neighboring country’s internal affairs. They have no say in what happens in Iraq and Syria. Why can’t Turkey have a say? Because they hold anti-Kurdish politics. We want to tell the AKP government or the state that runs the country: They can’t make the Kurds back down with the methods of the ‘90s or their own methods. Our MPs and our members are arrested. Thousands of our friends are in prisons, but we will realize the promise we made to our people and our friends who have paid a price in democratic politics, and free our people. These pressures won’t intimidate us and they won’t keep us from our path. With determination, this struggle will continue and we won’t leave these grounds to the AKP. AKP will crumble under what they do.”

Yüksek spoke on their co-chair Tuncel being arrested at the court she was referred to yesterday: “There is a government that has gained nothing from the Selahattin Eyyubi culture. It was immoral for them to detain our co-chair, they are detaining and arresting a party leader as if to menace a people.”

“PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTED BY YOU”

“People are disgusted by you,” said Yüksek and stated that they believed the people of Turkey will see this disorganized and tactless administration and take a stance against them. Yüksek said they won’t give up the values they believed in, even if one person was left and they had one day to live. Yüksek said: “Like our co-chairs say, ‘that ship will reach the shore’, our people shouldn’t worry. Nobody lose hope. We will tear through all these veils and we will prevail.”

“KJA MEMBERS FACING INTENSE VIOLENCE”

KJA member Fatma Kaşan spoke afterwards and said: “As all women are watching closely, KJA and the KJA members are under an intense pressure. The co-chair system, our social and cultural structure, our local efforts are facing intense violence. The latest addition is the arrest of the HDP and DBP co-chairs and MPs. This is an attempt to eliminate women from politics. The socialization in the local is hindered by the AKP. There is a democratic woman against the hegemonic male system. We as the Kurdish women are happy to have shouldered this mission.”

Kaşan said the lines of slavery and freedom were at odds in the Middle East and stated that they will play their part as women.