On 9 October, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Habip Eksik was seriously injured in the police attack on the protest marking the anniversary of the beginning of the international plot against Abdullah Öcalan in Yüksekova district of Hakkari province in Northern Kurdistan. The MP had to undergo surgery due to a comminuted fracture. From the Ankara State Hospital, he made serious accusations against the police.

Speaking to the Mezopotamya news agency (MA) about the demonstration, Eksik stated, "The most important approach to solving the Kurdish question is to end the isolation on Imrali. The problems regarding democracy, fundamental rights and freedoms in Turkey are due to the lack of a solution process. Our demonstration in Yüksekova and other regions aimed to condemn and protest against the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan. According to the constitution, all demonstrations and assemblies that do not call for violence can be organised without a permit. We have repeatedly said that this is our constitutional right."

“THEY KNEW WE ARE MPs’

Eksik spoke about the attack during the talks with the police on the implementation of the protest: "While the negotiations were going on, the police attacked on the orders of the head of operations. Our MP Sait Dede from. Hakkari was also attacked. They tried to break his leg with kicks. As he is not as heavy as me, he bounced back from the kick and did not have his leg broken. This shows that there was an order to break his leg or something. They dispersed the crowd there with gas and gas grenades and deliberately created space around us. Even though they knew we were MPs - they know MP Sait Dede very well and I had already explained that I am an MP - they hit my head with a shield."

“IT WAS A PLANNED ATTACK”

After the attack, Eksik declared that he would file a complaint. This was followed by another attack: "When I tried to pull out the phone, they started attacking me again. I was about to record a video when all the policemen started attacking me. They attacked me with kicks, slaps, punches, clubs and everything they had. While I was still standing, they started beating me and broke my leg while I was standing. After I fell to the ground, they stomped on my leg and continued to beat me. When they finally saw that people started filming, they moved away. The images circulated in the media are the last moments of the attack. It was a planned and organised attack."

SEVEN HOURS IN THE AMBULANCE WITH A BROKEN LEG

Eksik was first taken to the hospital in Yüksekova, but the fracture was so severe that he could not be operated on there. "Actually, I was supposed to be transferred by plane, but as the weather conditions were bad, I was sent to Batman, where I travelled for seven hours. From Batman I was taken by plane to Ankara. In the morning, I was operated on. I have a comminuted fracture in my thigh. Three fractures are very severe, and it was a very difficult operation because the policemen stomped on my leg," Eksik said. The doctors explained that such a bad injury would normally only occur in a serious traffic accident.

Eksik, himself a medical doctor, continued: "They specifically hit the femur with boots and kicks. Because these kicks hit so massively, the femur was completely shattered. My operation lasted three hours. There was no one we could talk to during the attack. We tried to protect our faces and eyes during the attack. 20 to 30 people hitting one person is a very serious thing. Although I persistently shouted 'my leg is broken, my leg is broken', they continued to kick me."

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT”

Eksik underlined the need for a common struggle against police violence against MPs. Reacting to the silence of Mustafa Şentop, Speaker of Parliament, Eksik said: "The Speaker of Parliament, who took an oath of impartiality, should have stood against this violence. All political parties, all democratic mass organisations and all NGOs should stand against this police violence. Our people should teach a lesson to this government that wants to ensure its survival through violence. I am a doctor who was illegally dismissed due to a decree. But I have continued to work for peace, democracy, rights and freedoms in Turkey. I did not leave this country but fought to change and transform it. I will continue to fight so that the peoples of Turkey can live in peace. I will continue to contribute to the struggle. You cannot stop the Kurdish political movement and the revolutionaries of Turkey by breaking our legs, removing people from the profession by decree, narrowing the political space and intimidating people with pressure. We will continue to fight until we achieve peace, democracy, justice and equality."