HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş is in Norway’s capital Oslo to conduct a series of meetings.

Demirtaş gave an interview to Norwegian state television NRK and prominent newspaper Klassekampen about the latest developments in the country. Demirtaş also attended a seminar as a speaker yesterday. HDP co-chair will meet with political party representatives in the Norwegian Parliament tomorrow and head to the Foreign Ministry from there. He will also meet with the political advisor of the Foreign Minister who is out of the country at the moment.

The seminar Demirtaş attended as a speaker is called “Selahattin Days” and is a four day long event organised by the Norway House of Literature. The seminar’s subject is the problems faced by the Kurdish people throughout history, particularly from the Selahattin Eyyubi period to the Autonomous Administration resistances in Rojava and Northern Kurdistan. Demirtaş gave a 90 minute speech in the second day of the seminar that was attended by Kurdish and Norwegian academics and politicians.

“KURDS WANT TO RULE THEMSELVES”

HDP co-chair stated that the AKP government opened up the subject of a presidential system for discussion and deemed those who don’t support it criminals, and answered the discussions about autonomy with penalties, imprisonment and massacres. He asked “Why the Presidential System can be debated and not the autonomy?”.

Demirtaş said “The developed and democratic countries are ruled by local administrations and not central governments,” and stated that the Kurds are fighting for fundamental human rights and want to rule themselves in the four parts of Kurdistan.

CRITICISM AT EUROPE

Demirtaş stated that the Republic of Turkey has excluded the Kurdish people and other identities since the founding of the state and it has taken up a policy of assimilation, and that the Iraqi, Iranian and Syrian Kurds have also dealt with this assimilation. Demirtaş said, “We are fighting a mindset of rape and slavery in the region,” and criticised European countries for ignoring all the massacres and human rights violations committed in Kurdish cities.

“THEY CAN’T INTERVIEW US DUE TO FEAR”

Demirtaş also mentioned the media and government relationship in Turkey and said the journalists who criticise the AKP were “put through hell” and newspapers and television stations could not have interviews with him because they were afraid.