HDP Representative for the Council of Europe Faik Yagizay spoke about the party’s efforts in the European Union and the Council of Europe and said there have been meetings with the CPT by them and MEPs. Yagizay said the MEPs pose the same demands as them and added: “There are demands like ending the isolation imposed upon Kurdish Peoples’ Leader Abdullah Ocalan, him having regular meetings with his family and lawyers and being allowed letters and phone calls, as stated in the CPT report and accepted in the PACE.”

Yagizay stressed that the CPT’s approach is positive and that the MEPs also share a similar view.

He spoke about the report on Turkey which was voted on yesterday evening and said the 2019 report is the harshest one since 2005.

Yagizay stressed that the EP advised the European Union Council to suspend relationships with Turkey and added: “The EU Council will decide whether the negotiations will be suspended or not. But the EP taking such a stance shows the European public’s position and stance for Turkey, and is critical in that it reflects Turkey’s situation.”

DORU: ANTI-DEMOCRATIC PRACTICES MENTIONED IN MEETINGS

HDP Representative for the European Union Eyup Doru spoke about the efforts as well.

Doru said they have called on the EP to send a committee to Turkey’s local elections to be held on March 31, and added: “The report mentions the political landscape in Turkey, the anti-democratic practices against the HDP and other such things.

The report openly demands the freezing of the relationship with Turkey. In the vote, the right wing bloc demanded that the relationship with Turkey end completely. Social democrats, greens and left groups argued that Turkey is more than just Erdogan and the AKP, that there is a democratic opposition, and called for a mere freezing of the relationship.

We can say that the report passed like desired, it was voted as it was discussed in the EP Foreign Relations Commission.”