Over 800 writers and academics have announced they will vote for the HDP in the 7 June elections 'for the democratic future of Turkey.' At a meeting yesterday Oya Baydar stressed that the HDP was the only party that could bring peace and fraternity to the country, accusing the current government of having dictatorial tendencies.

Baydar said: “We feel throttled and under pressure everywhere in this country at the moment," adding that the election of 7 June is one of the most important in recent times in Turkey.

"If we want democracy to develop in Turkey and if we want the country to return to normal I believe our votes should go to the HDP," she said.

'Join the election campaign'

Poet and author Önder Birol Bıyık said that the 808 signatures they had garnered for their petition demonstrated how aware writers in Turkey were. HDP Istanbul Co-chair Ayşe Erdem called for people to join election campaigning in Istanbul, adding: "If we exceed the threshold in Istanbul we will exceed it in Turkey, too."

The joint declaration of the writers was read out in Kurdish by Mervan Tan and in Turkish by Fatoş Salman. They criticised the passing of the 'Internal Security Package' 3 months prior to the elections, adding that the government was trying to silence opposition.

Tan and Salman explained why they were supporting the HDP, saying: "We support the HDP because it advocates peace, because it defends freedom, as we believe in the right to self-determination of the Kurdish people, and as we want an end to all chauvinist measures and because we want contemporary, secular education in the mother tongue. Also because we want to see an end to sexist restrictions on women and LGBT individuals and a society where citizens have equal rights."