Many delegations from European political parties and institutions went to North Kurdistan as observers of the elections held on 24 June.

All have reported of pressures and arrests while in Kurdistan. This has been the case also of the French Communist party delegation. The PCF held a press conference which was attended also the HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) representative in Europe.

Sandra Regol, Greens, Pascal Torre, International Relations Officer of the French Communist Party, Danielle Simonet, the Left Party Spokesperson, and Eyup Doru, European Representative on behalf of the HDP were at the conference.

Agit Polat, CDK-F (Democratic Kurdish Council France) Foreign Relations Officer, Veysel Keser, co-mayor of Ipekyolu Municipality, also attended the press conference.

HDP European representative Eyup Doru pointed out that "the international delegations were subjected to many pressures and documented illegality and fraud in the region."

PCF’s Pascal Torre said: "We were taken into custody in Ağrı and we were kept in custody all day. The members of the delegation were interrogated separately. We were threatened and we were finally released at 5 pm. Then we were taken into custody once again and held for 2 hours at the gendarmerie station. The French Consulate intervened".

Torre added: "Due to the unjustified transfer of polling stations, villagers had to drive 80 km to cast their vote. In the morning some offices were closed by the soldiers and we were taken into custody when we wanted to go with these offices."

PCF Representative Hülya Turan added: "When we were under custody, we were questioned for one hour and the district gendarmerie commander stated that we were going to be arrested on charges of 'insulting the president' due to the book 'Stop Erdoğan' we had published."

Turan added that she was threatened and told that her son would face problems.

Sandra Regol from the Greens said: "Police and troops were stationing in front of the election offices. We were in Suruç, we saw people actually filling up ballot papers in bunches, openly, not a problem in their mind."

Left Party’s Danielle Simonet said: "We arrived at Istanbul airport the day before the elections and immediately we were pulled in by security at the airport and asked about our phones, passports. They asked us questions about the PKK and they told us they would send us back to Paris on the first plane. They eventually let us go and we went to Diyarbakir to follow the elections there. It was clear to us that all efforts were used to prevent the HDP to get support. Despite that, the HDP overcome the threshold."