EU 'concerned' over party closure case in Turkey

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – The EU is concerned about the case filed by Turkey’s top prosecutor to close the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), as well as an HDP lawmaker being stripped of his seat, said bloc leaders in a new statement.

“The European Union is deeply concerned about the decision to strip Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu of his parliamentary seat and parliamentary immunity and his imminent incarceration as well as the lawsuit initiated by the Court of Cassation’s prosecutor requesting the HDP closure,” said a statement by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.

Borrell and Varhelyi argued that closing the party would mean the violation of millions of voters.

“It adds to the EU’s concerns regarding the backsliding in fundamental rights in Turkey and undermines the credibility of the Turkish authorities’ stated commitment to reforms,” the statement added.

Turkey's top prosecutor on Wednesday filed an indictment seeking to shut down the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the terrorist group PKK and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.

The indictment accuses HDP leaders and members of flouting the democratic and universal rules of law, colluding with the terrorist PKK and affiliated groups, and aiming to destroy and eliminate the indivisible integrity of the state, country, and nation.

In Turkey, the closure of political parties is decided by the Constitutional Court, based on an indictment filed by the Supreme Court Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Instead of permanent dissolution, the 15-member Constitutional Court may instead decide to partially or completely cut off state aid to the party, depending on the severity of the acts in question.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.