The Women's Assembly of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) released a statement on Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention with a midnight Presidential Decree issued the night before.

Calling the withdrawal from the Convention an “unacceptable attack”, HDP Women's Assembly said the following:

“In these times when at least 3 women are murdered by men each day and when women face violence in all fields of life, Turkey has acted out a coup by means of a Presidential Decree and withdrawn its signature from the Istanbul Convention which holds states responsible for preventing violence against women. 

With this decision, the misogyny of the AKP-MHP masculine alliance has been re-confirmed. Abolishing the Istanbul Convention which was signed and ratified with the unanimous vote of all parties in the Parliament in 2011 is a coup by hegemonic patriarchy. 

With this decree, this government which is usurping women’s gains as one of the first steps to a one-man regime, has;

Opened the floodgates to violence against women,

Legitimized femicide, 

Entrenched upon the right to life of refugees and immigrant women,

Rejected the equality of women and men,

Excluded women from all fields of life and locked them up in the house,

Ratified all forms of violence against women, mobbing and inequality, and protected men who practice violence against women, 

Carried out a coup against the gains and the liberation struggle of women! 

With the strength we derive from the struggle and solidarity of women, we, hereby, have the following to say to the one-and-only-man regime:

We will never give up on our gains and rights as women. The enthusiasm and hope we mustered on the 8th of March will flow into the Newroz celebrations and there, we will once again raise our voices ever more powerfully against those who want to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. In the Newroz rallies, we will raise our voices against the attacks on our party, the HDP and on the Istanbul Convention. We will never forgo the Istanbul Convention. 

The AKP-MHP masculine alliance which is trying to abolish our rights and gains with a decree has been herewith nullified in the eyes of women!”