HDP former Izmir MP and currently party’s Honorary President Ertuğrul Kürkçü spoke at a seminar organised by the Olof Palme Centre about the 31 March local elections in Turkey and Kurdistan. 

He also spoke about the hunger strike at the Social Democratic and Labor Party and the Left Party congresses.

Kürkçü met with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and other ministers, as well as officials of the Olof Palme Center and the Social Democratic Labor Party, who gathered at the Social Democratic Congress in Örebro. 

Kürkçü pointed out that Turkey is going through what perhaps is one of the darkest periods in its history and added that the Kurdish people and Turkish social democratic and opposition forces are showing great resistance.

Call on Sweden 

The HDP Honorary President spoke about the exceptional role played by the 31 March local elections, which became a test of legitimacy for the regime. Because of that the regime has increased the pressure on the HDP, as it is working to destroy the political existence and identity of the Kurdish people while imposing heavier isolation on Kurdish People's Leader Öcalan.

Kürkçü called on the Swedish government to help in achieving the removal of isolation, and underlined the hunger strike resistance led by DTK co-chair and HDP Hakkari MP Leyla Güven.

PM Löfven: We are against the attacks on HDP

Prime Minister Löfven and Social Democratic Labor Party executives said that they were closely monitoring the hunger strike of Leyla Güven and the other hunger strikers and were worried about their health situation. 

Lövfen and members of the cabinet said they have always opposed the repression and attacks against HDP and will continue to condemn this.

Kürkçü also met with deputy Foreign Minister Ann Linde as well as Thomas Hammarberg, MP for Social Democratic Labor Party and former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, who nominated Selahattin Demirtaş to the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Erdoğan will experience his first defeat” 

Kürkçü also attended the provincial congress of the Left Party. Here he talked about the general political situation in Turkey and the repression and human rights violations in prisons.  He said he is confident that the HDP will win on 31 March. 

Kürkçü concluded his speech by saying, “On 1 April, Tayyip Erdoğan will have his first defeat and this will not be a joke for 1 April. Come and see it with your eyes.”

Kürkçü will meet with political groups to talk about the hunger strikes and try to bring the issue on the agenda of the European Parliament during the mass events that will take place this week in Strasbourg.