ANKARA - HDP Co- Chair Sezai Temelli, evaluating the November 4 coup, said: "You can not prevent the politicians of HDP from being involved in politics by arresting them. HDP is a spirit. HDP is love. It is a history of struggle."
With the arrest of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP's, the government started paving up the way for 'Presidency Government System'. Following the July 15 copu attempt which has been a tool to intimidate HDP's politicians and the opposition around it, the State of Emergency declared later on July 20, 2016 still continues although it was terminated legally.
During the state of emergency, trustees were appointed to 94 municipalities of the Democratic Districts Party (DBP), thousands of Kurdish politicians were detained, arrested and 'punished' in numerous ways. The “Presidential Government System”, a Turkish-type Presidency brought with a referendum on April 16, 2017, was put into operation with the Presidential and general elections held on June 24, 2018. The state of emergency, which was terminated on July 19, 2018, was extended for almost three years with the Law No: 7145, which entered into force on July 31, 2018. 2018 is now known as the year in which the state of emergency has become permanent.
At present, 6 HDP deputies including former Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ are in prison. Against all the detention, arrest and trustee policies of the ruling bloc, the HDP once again exceeded the 10 percent threshold in the 24 June 2018 General Elections, maintaining its position as the 3rd largest party with 67 deputies in parliament.
HDP entering the March 31 2019 elections with a new strategy they called 'Winning in Kurdistan and making them lost in Turkey', won back their municipalities from the trustees in the region and made AKP lost in the metropols in the west.
Temelli emphasizing that the oppression on HDP still continues today, said: "Our politicians are still being arrested.Trustees were appoited to 14 of our municipalities so far. 6 our municipalities were usurped by the Supreme Board of Elections (YSK). They want to take away all of our municipalities. Our mayors are being taken into custody and arrested. They are trying to lock HDP into buildings. They say 'Let's close down HDP'. HDP is not a building you can close down. HDP can not be locked inside a building. You can not prevent the people of HDP from being involved in politics by arresting them. Because HDP is a spirit. HDP is love. It is a history of struggle. HDP is an evergrowng , long term journey. Therefore these efforts are in vein. It shows the exhaustion of the government. It is the exposure of the Presedential Government System is a made up system. It is the insolvency of the Erdogan regime. This depleted power will lead to more destruction as we go."
HDP Co-Chair Sezai Temelli calling on to everyone to support HDP in its struggle or democracy, said: "Don't leave the Kurdish community in their struggle for democracy. We invite all the peoples of Turkey in this struggle. If we can't succeed today, Turkey will be crushed under this tyranny. This power is an exhausted power no matter what it does. This government reflects its burnout through violence against the human rights, against the women, children, labourers. We have to confront war and violence in a powerful, courageous way. November 4 is a painful day for HDP. Our friends, comrades and co-chairs are still in prison. We promised that day; we will never compromise, we will not back down until they are free."