BDP rally to support hunger strikes banned in Diyarbakır

DHA Photo

Tension has escalated in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır after the city government banned a rally planned by the Kurdish issue-focusedPeace and Democracy Party (BDP) to support hunger strikers entering their 53th day of fasting today, daily Hürriyet reported.

BDP deputies staged a sit-in protest in front of the Diyarbakır Governorship building after the rally was prevented. The governorship carried out the ban for all the streets and avenues of the city.

"This is a declaration of martial law," BDP co-chair Gültan Kışanak said. "This is the firsttime I have ever faced such a decision. We will break this repressivemindset."

"It is unacceptable,"Kışanak added. "If we accept, they will banus from breathing tomorrow."

Police also prevented a group of people from approaching the deputies and detained some of them. (hurriyetdailynews)

10 years demanded for BDP deputies

AA photo

The Van Prosecutors’ Office presented a 15-page summary of proceedings to Parliament on Oct. 31 concerning the 10 pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputies who met with PKK militants in the eastern province of Hakkari.

The Office seeks to annul the deputies’ parliamentary immunity and sentence them to five to 10 years in jail.

The BDP lawmakers, including co-chair Gültan Kışanak, were seen embracing and warmly chatting with PKK militants near Şemdinli in Hakkari province on Aug. 17.

Meeting with PKK militants

The summary of proceedings was prepared following a two month-long examination of the deputy chief prosecutor. The deputies’ interaction with PKK militants was considered a “meeting” in the summary.
The prosecution asked for permission to open a probe against BDP deputies Adil Kurt, Sebahat Tuncel, Nazmi Gür, Hüsamettin Zenderlioğlu, Halil Aksoy, Ertuğrul Kürkçü, Esat Canan, İdris Baluken and an independent deputy from Van Aysel Tuğluk, on charges of “providing help to the PKK and KCK armed terror organizations.”

The government and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have already declared that they will vote to lift the immunity of the 10 deputies if a summary of proceedings is introduced to Parliament.

“The ordinary procedure run for the other summaries of proceedings will be implemented for this summary of proceeding as well,” Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin has said, adding that the summary would first be sent to the Prime Minister’s office and then to Parliament, in line with ordinary procedures. k HDN (hurriyetdailynews)

Row over Atatürk heats up at charter commission

BDP deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder (3rd L) comments on Atatürk create tension in the charter committee meeting. AA photo

Squabbles marred Parliament’s Internal Affairs Commission during a debate on a draft bill on metropolitan municipalities, after Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) lawmaker Altan Tan said that not everybody should be obliged to like the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The commission was yesterday debating a draft resolution submitted to Parliament by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) last week. According to the draft bill, new districts will be formed in new metropolitan municipalities and 52 non-metropolitan cities. Furthermore, towns with populations of less than 2,000 will cease to exist as separate legal entities.

Lawmakers from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have slammed the draft bill. MHP lawmaker Nevzat Korkmaz claimed that the bill aimed to disintegrate Turkey by strengthening the metropolitan municipalities. “The MHP is against this bill which serves the political objectives of the PKK [the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and would harm Turkey’s unitary structure,” he said.

The CHP’s Birgül Ayman Güler, for her part, argued that the bill would pave the way for administrative federalism in Turkey. “This draft law is a part of the AKP’s presidential system project,” Güler said.

BDP deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder rebuffed the CHP and BDP lawmakers, saying “Do you have to say ‘Kurds will benefit from this amendment’ to oppose this draft bill. Your point of view will divide this country.”

When Önder said Atatürk’s motto “Peace at home peace in the world” arose from that era’s necessities, the CHP and MHP lawmakers accused him of insulting Atatürk. “Atatürk was the biggest genius of the century, why would I criticize him?” Önder said in response.

Wading into the discussion, BDP deputy Altan Tan said: “Nobody is obliged to like Atatürk.”
Korkmaz harshly reacted to this, calling on Tan to leave the commission room. “You don’t have the right to speak ill of Atatürk under this roof. You must go out if you insult Atatürk here,” he said.

The commission chair decided to call a recess when he was unable to calm the lawmakers down. (Hürriyet Daily News)

46 detained in KCK, Feb 28 operations in Turkey

BDP's 'Political Academy' building in Şanlıurfa. DHA Photo

Turkish police have detained 46 people around the country today within probes into the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Feb. 28 "post-modern coup," daily Hürriyet reported.

KCK operations took place in Istanbul, Ankara, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir and Muş provinces, where 25 separate locations were raided by the police. Twenty-eight people, including Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) provincial heads Fatma İzol, Mehmet Halis Aktaş and İbrahim Ogur, were detained.

Security forces also searched BDP buildings in several provinces, including a BDP Political Academy in the Şanlıurfa in the southeast.

Fourth wave in Feb. 28

A new wave of raids was also launched within the Feb. 28 probe, where security forces conducted searches in six different cities around Turkey.

Eighteen soldiers, of whom 12 were retired officers, were taken under custody. (ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News)

BDP deputy beats, threatens ER doctor

Özdal Üçer, a deputy from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) beat up and threatened a doctor in an emergency room in the eastern province of Van, Health Minister Recep Akdağ said today.

Reports said earlier today that Üçer's wife and 11-year-old son had a traffic accident and were brought to Van Regional Training and Research Hospital's emergency room in the afternoon. Üçer arrived at the hospital shortly after and started yelling and screaming at the medical personnel. Dr. Oğuz Eroğlu came to ask Üçer who he was, upon which Üçer attacked the doctor with fists and kicks.

The security staff had to restrain Üçer, who then reportedly went to the chief of medicine of the hospital and insulted him.

Akdağ talked to Üçer and told the press that the deputy both beat up and threatened Eroğlu. Akdağ said Üçer would not agree to apologize for what he had done.

Özdal had previously signed a parliamentary petition to investigate attacks on medical personnel in Turkey.

Doctors at the hospital said they were going to file a complaint against Üçer.

The attack came one day after thousands of health workers around Turkey marched to protest the recent murder of a doctor by a patient's relative while the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) demanded the health minister provide safer working conditions for medical personnel. (Hürriyet)