On Wednesday 17 March the Turkish parliament’s removed People Democracy Party (HDP) deputy leader and Member of Parliament Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, Day-Mer issued a statement commending the move call Turkey’s AKP-MHP government’s actions an “attacks against those who support human rights, democracy and the brotherhood of the peoples.”
Saying: “The removal of Gergerlioğlu’s immunity purely for political purposes also shows how difficult the AKP-MHP coalition is. There is nothing they can do other than pressure and digestion…
“It is not a coincidence that Gergerlioğlu, who was elected by popular vote, was dismissed from his mandate with a political decision, and the Supreme Court of Appeals Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against the HDP with the Constitutional Court requesting its closure, and shows that the unlawfulness, oppression and enemies of the peoples in the country wanted to be further escalated. The closure of the HDP means the punishment of millions of people, and this initiative, which means to further digest the bleeding benefit in the Kurdish issue, to ignore the most natural rights and freedoms of the Kurdish people by fascist methods and to further deepen the polarization and enmity between the peoples, It can never be accepted for the future of the country.
“As Day-Mer, we support those living under the democracy struggle in Turkey… Attacks against the HDP, which represents the will of millions of people, must be stopped. Britain and other EU institutions and European countries have become a supporter of Turkey’s crimes against the people must stop immediately, economic, political and military support must end immediately.”
Gergerlioğlu was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months in prison on a charge of “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” in February 2018 on the grounds of a social media post from 2016. He appealed the ruling but the appeals court decision confirming the conviction given and it was read in Parliament, leading to his automatic expulsion from the house. Gergerlioglu protested the move and refused to leave, he was later detained for his protest and later released.