| Author (Corporate) | European Union: European External Action Service |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Statement |
| Series Details | 04.11.16 |
| Publication Date | 04/11/2016 |
| Content Type | News |
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Several members of parliament of the pro-Kurdish HDP party were arrested in Turkey on 4 November 2016. The two joint leaders of the party were amongst those detained, allegedly due to their reluctance to give testimony for crimes linked to 'terrorist propaganda'. The EU showed its concern over the detention of HDP members on charges alleging support of terrorist activities, highlighting their status as democratically elected representatives and once again condemning the lifting of their parliamentary immunity. The HDP is the third largest party of Turkey's Parliament. As these detentions unfolded, a widespread difficulty in reaching social media websites was also reported across the country, and namely in its southeast region. The arrest of the Kurdish politicians in Turkey was seen as a part of a dual military and political strategy to crush the Kurds. On the 6 November 2016 the HDP said it was 'halting its legislative efforts' as a protest and would no longer take part in general assembly sittings. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/14039/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Turkey |
