Ýstanbul parliamentary representative and Labor Party (EMEP) President Levent Tüzel and Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Group Deputy Chair Hasip Speaking to DIHA News Agency, Kaplan said that only parliament can solve the political crisis surrounding the imprisonment of Hatip Dicle and five other parliamentary representatives. Saying that the president of parliament (Meclis Baþkaný) and the state must take responsibility for this situation, Tüzel and Kaplan asked for a meeting about the subject. “We will risk everything for the freedom of the people,” Kaplan said. He also said that the BDP group is under threat from every camp. In this sense, he added, the Parliament President and the Prime Minister's attitude does not help.

Kaplan reminded previous incidents involving Kurdish deputies, saying; “Hatip Dicle was arrested in 1994 when he was deputy of Democracy Party (DEP) which is another banned pro-Kurdish party. European Court of Human Rights convicted Turkey of “violating free elections.” Turkey and the Constitutional Court did not make the necessary amendments regarding this violation and the problem continued. If so we wouldn’t face these unlawful practices one more time. Dicle and other deputies served 10 years at that time and now almost all newly elected deputies have been investigated. These investigations might be concluded at any moment and our legal mandates were also stripped of. Turkey cannot carry this crisis. The assembly and government need to take urgent step to solve the problem.”