Imprisoned Kurdish deputies Selma Irmak, Gülser Yıldırım, Faysal Sarıyıldız, İbrahim Ayhan and Kemal Aktaş have issued a joint statement saying: “The blow inflicted on the rule of law by the specially authorized courts on 16 December in Diyarbakır, was also designed to sabotage the process of resolution.”

The imprisoned elected Kurds emphasized that they would never submit to the existing state of illegality, adding: “We would like our people to know that we will carry on our struggle."

Pointing out that the blatant implementation of measures of denial and assimilation resulting from the policies of international forces and regional states against the Kurds, one of the ancient peoples of the Middle East, are continuing, the statement noted that the legal system has been used as a tool to intimidate the Kurds since the inauguration of the republic.

“From the Independence Tribunals of the East to the Military Courts of 12 September and the State Security Courts and the current specially authorized courts the system has maintained this function”, it underlined.

Deputies remarked that the alliance of the AKP government and the Fethullah Gülen movement has updated this mentality since 2009, embarking on a massive campaign of arrests, terrorising the democratic political struggle, filling the prisons with thousands of activists, who are now being 'tried' and given incredible sentences for carrying on legitimate activities. “We are continuing to be incarcerated for incomprehensible reasons. Despite our stressing from the outset that we were being held in custody in a totally arbitrary fashion, that has now continued for years, nothing has illustrated this more clearly than the decision of the nos. 5 and 6 Serious Criminal Courts in Diyarbakır on 13 December", deputies said and noted that the Diyarbakır courts' decision confirms the fact that the political genocide operations launched in April 2009 against the Kurdish political movement are continuing.

“The judgment of the Constitutional Court on Mustafa Balbay is binding and establishes a precedent for us. The fact 5th and 6th High Criminal Courts in Diyarbakır rejected our requests for release on the same day as if they had come to an accord constitutes a judicial scandal for Turkey”, deputies said and emphasized that they have seen once more that general practices of the state to not go east of the Euphrates and that there is a clear double standard as regards judgments of the Constitutional Court. The courts in Diyarbakır -Kurdish MPs said- have proclaimed that there is a separate system of law for the Kurds. This is also the case as regards sick prisoners.

Jailed deputies of the BDP underlined that they do not accept the AKP government's claim that this is all the work of the Gülen movement. “If there is today mention of a parallel state and different circles of power, the only instigator is the AKP government. For years these circles have nourished each other. Today, once again the Kurds are being made to suffer by this power struggle, but the Kurdish people will not allow this to happen”, deputies underlined and noted that they do not consider the decisions made on 16 December to be legitimate and do not accept them. The statement said these decisions are also designed to sabotage the process of resolution, adding that the massacre of three Kurds in Gever was also intended to provoke the Kurds into going beyond democratic political boundaries and to try the patience of the Kurdish people.

Deputies called on political authorities to take responsibility and put an end to this illegality and double standard. “We also want to make clear that we will never accept this situation and maintain our struggle against it”, they added.

Deputies said specially authorized courts must be abolished immediately if peace is required in Turkey, and invited judicial circles to take a stand against this legal scandal which -they said- is a black stain on the political life of Turkey and threatens social peace.

"We appreciate the efforts of those who have placed the subject of 'MPs in custody' on the agenda, but everyone should know that as long as all our colleagues who have spent their lives in prison on account of waging a struggle for the freedom of the Kurdish people are not freed, and as long as the legitimate, democratic demands of the Kurdish people are not met, the historical injustice will not end”, deputies said and pointed out that they set great store by the hunger strike launched by their colleagues, HDP co-chairs Sebahat Tuncel and Ertuğrul Kürkçü and HDP MPs Levent Tüzel and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, and the democratic reaction of the Kurdish people to this illegality and double standard that denies the popular will.

Imprisoned deputies sent their greetings and love to all their people, friends and comrades from the prisons of Amed and Mêrdîn.