The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) on Tuesday did not attend the hearing at the Constitutional Court (AYM) which was set by the supreme court as the plea date for the party in the HDP Closure Case.

In the judicial process that started after the indictment prepared by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of Cassation for the closure of the party was accepted on June 21, 2021, it was first decided that the HDP officials would plead verbally on March 14, 2023.

An extension of time was granted to the party upon their request and the plea date was postponed to 11 April. However, the request of the party to postpone the plea date to a date after the 14 May elections was rejected. 

On 6 April, the HDP submitted a petition to the supreme court stating its decision not to plead verbally today.

The General Assembly of AYM discussed on Tuesday the decision of the party not to plead verbally and recorded it. The assembly decided for the case file to be handed over to the AYM rapporteur in order for the opinion as to the accusations to be prepared. 

HDP closure case

The Court of Cassation launched an inquiry against HDP on March 2, 2021, and the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Bekir Şahin, applied to the Constitutional Court on March 17, 2021, demanding the closure of the HDP and many of its members being banned from politics.

A two-thirds majority, or votes of 10 of the 15 Constitutional Court members, are necessary to close the party or to impose other sanctions on the party, such as wholly or partially depriving it of public aid.

Those who have been imposed a political ban will not be able to be founders, members, executives, or supervisors of any other political party for five years. 

Politically motivated legal labyrinth

The HDP, the third largest party in parliament, is prevented from participating in the elections by Erdogan’s regime’s politically motivated closure case. In order to escape this politically motivated legal labyrinth and the risk of being closed down, the HDP decided to contest the elections on 14 May under the Green Left Party.

The HDP European Representation had called for an international solidarity statements against this arbitrary closure on 13 March, with dozens of parties and hundreds of parliamentarians from more than 22 countries expressing their solidarity.