The German parties DIE LINKE (The Left) and DIE GRUNEN (The Greens) expressed solidarity Against the background of the renewed wave of repression by the Turkish state against politicians of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Bernd Riexinger, Chairman of the Left Party, described the wave of arrests as a monstrous attack on democracy. "It must therefore be absolutely clear that we are in solidarity with the political prisoners. The party conference of the Left Party in Münster also showed solidarity with the HDP, including the party members of the parliament.

Sevim Dagdelen: Freedom for HDP politicians!

Sevim Dagdelen, spokeswoman for disarmament policy of the parliamentary group DIE LINKE commented the repression against the HDP as follows:

"In Turkey, leading members of the opposition party HDP are being arrested, including mayors and former members of parliament. They are accused in all seriousness of having protested against the attack of the terrorist militia ISIS on Kobane in 2014 and of having called for the protection of the city in northern Syria. They are now accused of having shown solidarity with the heroic resistance in Kobane against the Islamist murder gangs. It could not be more absurd. A total of 82 arrest warrants are to be executed. Among those already arrested is the mayor of the city of Kars, Ayhan Bilgen, whom I know personally.

The recent wave of repression by the despot Erdogan against the democratic opposition must not remain unanswered by the German government and the EU. Arms supplies and financial aid to the despot must finally be stopped. Those who, like Erdogan, make deals with Islamists and terrorize democrats must no longer be rewarded by the EU with special economic conditions such as the customs union.

Freedom for Ayhan Bilgen, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yüksekdag - and all other imprisoned HDP politicians! Freedom for all political prisoners in Turkey! Long live international solidarity!”