BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Co-Chairmen Hamit Geylani and Filiz Koçali, Group Chairman Selahattin Demirtas and deputies Gültan Kýþanak, Sabahat Tuncel and Sýrrý Süreyya Önder have held a press conference on the latest developments. The statement on behalf of the BDP was made by Group Chairman Selahattin Demirtas who said the followings;

“Not the state or the government but the Prime Minister himself is responsible for every death to be lived from now onward. These deaths are the most immediate agenda of the country now. The biggest obstacle to the solution of the Kurdish question is the AKP’s lack in a concrete policy and project, not the deep state, JITEM, army or dark powers. The Prime Minister didn’t give a single reply to the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan’s statement that this problem could be resolved within a week. Mr. Prime Minister hasn’t taken this proposal seriously in practice. We want to know which answer the Prime Minister gave to the leader directly or through the delegation visiting Imralý. We want the negotiations with Imralý to be conducted openly as the public opinion has the right to know what is going on. We demand the negotiations to be conducted for persuasion not for deceiving delaying. We want to know what is spoken, where the deadlock is and why the ceasefires were responded with operations. If you cannot explain these questions, can we say that there is a crime in view? Despite all developments, the BDP, who was excluded from the Parliament due to the electoral threshold and who has around three thousand administrators and members in prison, is found faulty despite its taking responsibility for the process and saying that dialogue is the single solution. You carry out operations but you say that we need to keep our distance from violence. You should also keep your distance from fascism as much as we do. We will not accept so much unjustness and unscrupulousness. A bilateral ceasefire is the only solution way to stop the clashes and deaths. Instead of agreeing to stop the operations when the PKK is in inertia position, the Prime Minister supports violence by refusing to discuss the autonomy and saying every day that there is a terror in the country. We should do what is reasonable instead of sending warplanes to Kandil every day. The Kurds do not accept to be named as slaves, second-class citizens or 'terrorists'. The Kurds want peace and freedom.”

Referring to the assertions about the list of BDP and DTK (Democratic Society Congress) members to be detained and arrested, Demirtaþ said; “We warn that the Prime Minister’s threats against us will bring the situation into a different state. The state has the power to arrest and execute us but it doesn’t have any legitimacy to do that. The problem could have been resolved so far if threats and cessations could bring a solution. Besides, we are not going to bow to the state if it is planning to move in this direction. Whoever says whatever, peace will be brought to Turkey. We call on everybody with conscience to stand by peace and we call on the government to end its provocations while the people are still protecting the good sense and before the society begins to act crazily.”