Swedish Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt, who attended the group meeting of HDP in Turkey this week in solidarity and met with HDP officials, spoke to the ANF.

Sjöstedt said he sees the attacks on HDP as serious attacks on democracy and said the European left should increase solidarity with the party.

Saying that he visited Turkey to show Swedish Left Party’s support for HDP, Sjösted stated that “The Erdoğan regime wants to have 50 of HDP’s MPs on trial and to silence the democratic opposition and representatives of the Kurds and other minorities. This is a serious attack on democracy.”

Saying that the Swedish Left Party and the European left should show solidarity in all areas against the attacks on HDP, Sjöstedt answered our question on what concrete steps they are planning to take as such: “Our party’s MP Lotta Fornarve put this issue on the parliament’s agenda. Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said they will take a stance against the lifting of the immunities. We will be discussing the matter in the Parliament.”

“ERDOĞAN SHOULD COME TO HIS SENSES!”

Sjöstedt said, “Erdoğan should come to his senses. The whole world is watching Turkey right now. If they lift the immunities, they disqualify themselves from the democratic countries. Erdoğan should know that Turkey cannot join the European Union while silencing the opposition.”

Left Party MP Lotta Fornarve and Green Party MP Jabar Amin brought the genocidal attacks, human rights violations and attempts at elimination to the parliamentary session’s agenda.

Stating that Turkey has taken many regressive steps in the recent past, Fornarve said “This has been hurting the Kurdish people greatly. Hundreds of civilians are dead. Cities are destroyed. Journalists and activists are imprisoned. The first decree to lift the parliamentary immunities has been passed. The aim is very clear; to silence democratic opposition, starting with HDP.”

“THE OUTSIDE WORLD SHOULD PROTEST IMMEDIATELY”

Fornarve pointed out that 50 of the 59 HDP MPs could face prison if the proposal passes.

Fornarve mentioned that the final voting will take place today in the Turkish Parliament and said “The outside world protesting here and now and taking action is very important.” and asked the Foreign Minister what they planned to do.

MINISTER WALLSTRÖM: CONCERNING

Stating that Sweden is using the EU membership process and their current relationships to strengthen everybody’s rights in Turkey, Minister Wallström said it was very concerning that the Turkish Parliament wanted to lift the immunities for only some deputies.

Wallström said, “We call attention to every regressive step and these types of violations. We support the EU’s statement on this matter. We take the issue to the agenda of the Council of Europe and Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe. We will put the issue on the agenda against Turkey during the bilateral discussions as well.”

IS SWEDEN READY TO CONDEMN ERDOĞAN’S TERROR?

Starting his speech by showing photographs from Sur, Cizre and other destroyed residential areas in Kurdistan, the Environemntal Party Greens MP Jabar Amin said several Kurdish cities have been under fire for the last 10 months. Amin said, “A colleague asked me if this photograph was from Beirut, 1975. This photograph is from Cizre. This is how the cities look like now.” and asked Wallström if they were ready to condemn the state terror incited by the Erdoğan regime.

Wallström said the photographs “show terrible things had happened”, and that the EU has a duty above all now.

Wallström said the talks with Turkey were on several different areas and listed these as the talks against the influx of refugees and convergence with the EU and normal diplomatic and political relationships.

“THERE SHOULD BE A RETURN TO THE PEACE TALKS”

Wallström called on the Turkish state and the PKK to return to peace and negotiations again and said, “We are just as concerned on the current developments regarding the situation of the Kurds as Amin and others are.” Amin took the stand again after Wallström’s speech and said it wasn’t enough to say that the developments in Kurdistan are concerning, and repeated his previous question addressed to the Foreign Minister on whether they were ready to condemn Erdoğan’s state terrorism.

Wallström said they condemned all attacks on civilians and continued, “Of course we condemn the damage inflicted on the Kurds in the latest process. We state this fact within the EU, in the UN and in bilateral talks with Turkey.”

The discussion on the elimination attempt on HDP and the genocidal attacks in Northern Kurdistan will continue in today’s session in the Parliament.