Turkey slams international criticism over HDP issue

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Ministry has slammed international criticism over the move to revoke the seat of opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) lawmaker, saying that to criticize the move amounts to intervening in the Turkish judiciary and that all should respect the ongoing judicial process.

“Everyone must wait for the ruling the Constitutional Court will make in this process. Commenting on an ongoing judicial process amounts to intervention in the judiciary,” said the ministry in a written statement on March 18.

The ministry said the seat of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu from the HDP was revoked in line with the constitution and parliamentary ordinance. The ministry statement added that the country’s top prosecutor filed an indictment seeking the dissolution of the HDP, calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the terrorist group PKK and seeks to destroy the unity of the state. The United States and Europe have criticized the move. The U.S. said on March 17 that it was “closely following events” in Turkey.

“The United States is closely following events in Turkey, including troubling moves on March 17 to strip Member of Parliament Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu of his parliamentary seat,” U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department said dissolving the HDP “would unduly subvert the will of Turkish voters, further undermine democracy in Turkey and deny millions of Turkish citizens their chosen representation.”

Price said the U.S. is calling on the Turkish government “to respect freedom of expression in line with protections in the Turkish constitution and with Turkey’s international obligations.”

“Unapologetically [moving] towards the end of pluralism. What reaction does Turkey expect now from the European Union? A positive agenda?” said Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey.