The DBP calls the imminent lifting of the parliamentary immunity of its chairperson Saliha Aydeniz a political decision and vows to continue its democratic struggle: "We are in the right and that gives us strength."
The DBP (Democratic Regions Party) released a statement on the imminent lifting of the parliamentary immunity of its co-chair Saliha Aydeniz at a press conference in Amed (tr. Diyarbakir). At the press conference at the DBP headquarters, party deputy chairperson Gülşen Sincar pointed out that the procedures for lifting immunity are overwhelmingly directed against MPs of the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party). Out of more than 1,600 investigation reports submitted to parliament, 1,300 were made against HDP MPs. Against Saliha Aydeniz alone, 78 investigation reports have been received. The parliamentary committee, which voted to lift immunity on Wednesday, did not take into account the evidence brought by Aydeniz, including clear video footage, she said. "On 18 July, the joint committee will make a decision, after which the case will come before the general assembly," Sincar explained, referring to the arrest of DEP MPs in the early 1990s and the more recent proceedings against Kurdish MPs Leyla Güven, Musa Farisoğulları and Semra Güzel.
The DBP will nevertheless continue its political work undeterred, explained Gülşen Sincar: "We know that this decision has no legal basis, but is political. Our struggle is wanted to be criminalised in order to take away the ground for our political work. As democratic politicians from revolutionary contexts and as women, we will continue our struggle. We are in the right and this gives us the necessary strength."
Parallel to the press conference in Amed, a rally was held in Van, where mainly women showed solidarity with Saliha Aydeniz and called her a legitimate representative.
Background to the case
The background to the case is Saliha Aydeniz's participation in the "Great March to Gemlik" for the lifting of Abdullah Öcalan's isolation in Istanbul. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office accuses the 49-year-old politician of "resisting state authority" at the event in June and violating the Turkish law on assemblies. The MP sees the threat of prosecution as a targeted action against her party as well as the HDP and described the event as a "state-orchestrated criminalisation campaign" to justify a possible dissolution before the presidential and parliamentary elections.
