Gözde Bayar
18 March 2021•Update: 18 March 2021
ANKARA
Turkey’s opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) without question has organic ties to the PKK terror group, the country’s communications director said late Wednesday.
Turkey's top prosecutor filed an indictment earlier in the day seeking the dissolution of the HDP, calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the PKK terrorist group and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.
“It is an indisputable fact that the HDP has organic ties to the PKK, which Turkey, the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist entity,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.
Altun said the HDP’s senior leaders and spokespeople, through their words and deeds, have repeatedly and consistently proven that they are the PKK’s political wing.
“Whether that relationship warrants the HDP’s closure or its subjecting to another punitive measure is a question that the Constitutional Court alone can answer,” he said.
He also urged all parties to respect Turkey’s independent judiciary and count on its legal system to deliver justice.
The move follows growing calls by Turkish political leaders for the HDP to be officially closed down. In recent years, more and more HDP executives and elected officials have been charged with terrorism-related offenses.
Turkish leaders have long argued that the HDP is little more than a front group for the terrorist PKK.
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 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.
