Call to Observe the Main Case of Ms. Figen Yüksekdağ whose HDP membership and deputy status have been rescinded through political intervention in outright violation of all laws, norms and procedures
HDP Co-Chair Ms. Figen Yüksekdağ was arrested on 4 November 2016 along with Co-Chair Mr. Demirtaş and 7 HDP deputies. After 8 months, the first hearing of the case on grounds of which she was arrested will be held on 4 July, 2017 at the Ankara 16th Heavy Penal Court at 14:00.
In their politically motivated and unlawful operation against the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Erdoğan and the AKP government have been publicly and particularly targeting Co-Chair Ms. Yüksekdağ, as a woman and a socialist of Turkish origin. The judiciary has been reduced to a manipulated instrument in their hands.
In the person of Ms. Yüksekdağ, this operation is an attempt to eliminate the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-colored, multi-cultured democratic coalition – the pluralistic existence based on freedom and equality that the HDP represents by targeting its non-Kurdish components.
In the person of Co-Chair Ms. Yüksekdağ, they are attacking on women’s equal participation and representation in politics, against the institution of Co-Chairmanship. For this reason, they first revoked Ms. Yüksekdağ’s parliamentary membership and then her party membership.
Ms. Yüksekdağ has been in Kandıra F Type Prison since 4 November 2016 and the first hearing of the main case will be held on 4 July 2017 in Ankara 16th. Heavy Penal Court at 2 pm.
Her indictment contains the following charges:
Establishing or directing armed terrorist organization, making propaganda of a terrorist organization, inciting people to hatred and enmity, inciting people to commit a crime, inciting people to break the law, participation in unlawful meetings and demonstrations. Her indictment consists of 8 separate files compiled together. Almost all of the files are about speeches she made as the leader of a political party. Evidence cited from her speeches includes:
- Describing the demonstrations during curfews in Kurdish cities as “resistance”;
- Supporting “democratic self-administration”, a fact which is openly written in HDP’s party program;
- Describing the killings of hundreds of civilians in the operations carried out by state security forces as “massacre”.
Beside this, one of the files is related to the call to protest the siege of Kobane issued by HDP Central Executive Committee on 6 October 2014. Police forces During the countrywide protests, the police used extreme violence, and over 50 people were killed between 6th and 8th of October 2014, the overwhelming majority being HDP members or sympathizers.
We invite you to observe the hearing to make it clear to non-willing eyes that the world democratic public is keenly following this case. We particularly call on international women organizations to attend and observe this hearing in order to expose the misogynist policies of the AKP regime and to stand with women in their struggle for freedom, equality and justice.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance for the necessary arrangements to observe the hearing.
HDP Foreign Affairs Commission
Contact: [email protected]
Web: www.hdp.org.tr
Phone: +90 312 427 17 80 Fax: +90 312 4288957