Erdoğan condemns deadly attack on HDP office
ANTALYA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned an attack on the office of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the western province of İzmir last week in which a woman was killed, labeling it a “provocation.”
Onur Gencer stormed the HDP office on June 17 and shot Deniz Poyraz dead. The assailant was arrested shortly after the attack.
“We are condemning this provocative assault in the strongest terms and will do so in such possible attacks in the future,” Erdoğan said in a speech in the southern province of Antalya on June 19.
“We believe the culprit will receive the highest punishment and all his connections will be unveiled,” the president added.
Erdoğan criticized those who remained silent when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been attacked and its members were killed.
“We are working to protect every single citizen of this country whoever they are. Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to fight against such provocative attacks, terror groups and crime organizations,” the president said.
In his statements to the police and the prosecutors, Gencer said he did not feel any regret about the attack.
Gencer claimed that he acted alone, and he did not have ties with any groups or organizations.
He previously said that his motivation for the attack was his hatred toward the PKK.
“I killed her [Deniz Poyraz] because she was at the HDP office at that time and I believed she was a terrorist,” Gencer said in his statement.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S and the EU. The government accuses the HDP of links with the PKK.
