HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar travelled to the earthquake area himself after the meeting of his party's crisis team to coordinate aid and participate in the work on the ground. The politician made a statement in Malatya) on Tuesday, stating the following:

"Everywhere we go, we see the scale of destruction. Earthquakes are a natural phenomenon, but the consequences are political. The government and its supporters constantly claim that it is not a political problem, but only a major natural disaster, but this does not correspond to reality. To get a picture of reality, you have to go to the places where people live. You have to talk to the people and be directly on the ground. We are here and we see it with our own eyes. If you look at the president and other representatives of the government since day one, the words that come out of their mouths are nothing but threats and insults. Today, too, the junior partner of the government [MHP] threatened everyone. But the people who are being insulted and threatened are the ones who are standing up for the people that are suffering from this destruction. They are the organisations and individuals who are putting together a great solidarity to meet the urgent needs of the people."

"OUR MOST IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT IS SOLIDARITY"

Sancar went on to say: "People and organisations from all over Turkey and different countries of the world are here out of solidarity. The scene we see now in the Ören district is a good example of how people heal their own wounds with solidarity. These efforts are an example for all of us. The same solidarity continues elsewhere. It is our own strength that keeps us on our feet in this matter. It is also our own strength and the will of the people that will stop the government's policy of destruction. We cannot choose any other way than solidarity to reduce the pain. Our most important tool to heal the wounds caused by this destruction is solidarity. It is about working together. Society in Turkey has shown a strong will in this regard. There is a real spirit of mobilisation. We must realise that this solidarity gives us not only comfort but also hope in the midst of all this suffering. Solidarity is important to alleviate suffering and heal wounds, but it is also our greatest source of hope to build the future on justice and rights."

"WE WILL DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY"

The HDP has been working continuously since the earthquake, Sancar said: "Since the first day, our colleagues have done their best to go everywhere they could. But we are not doing this alone. There are volunteers, democratic organisations, professional organisations, workers' organisations, people from different circles. We will heal these wounds by joining forces and we will definitely demand accountability for this destruction. What comes next is also very important, because debris removal has now moved away from the goal of saving lives. After this time, the possibility of getting people out of the rubble alive has unfortunately become very, very remote."

"EVERY COLLAPSED BUILDING IS A CRIME SCENE"

Sancar stressed that all collapsed buildings must be treated as a crime scene. The arbitrary, hasty removal of the rubble has the serious consequence of destroying evidence, the HDP co-chair said: "This evidence is very important to expose the responsibility of individuals and contractors as well as authorities and the government at the top. Together with labour and professional associations, our legal department, bar associations and legal institutes are working on this issue. Now we need to coordinate these efforts more. We must prevent the tampering of evidence. We must make efforts to hold those responsible for this destruction accountable. Colleagues here on the ground have also noted this. Still, no help has arrived from the state here."

"ALL THE HELP IS COMING THROUGH SOLIDARITY NETWORKS"

"All the aid that comes here is delivered through solidarity networks. It is this spirit of solidarity that keeps us going and enables us to build a better future. If we join hands, we will ease the pain, heal the wounds and work together for the future of a world where there will be no such devastation. We must unite not only to repair the consequences of destruction, but also to change this order based on corruption, profit and plunder. The pain is the pain of us all. We offer our condolences once again to all those who have lost their loved ones. We wish God's mercy to all those who have lost their lives. To the survivors, we wish patience and offer them more solidarity and more resistance."

From Malatya, Mithat Sancar will travel to Adiyaman to see for himself and participate in the earthquake relief.