Turkey Bans DTP Party

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Saturday December 12, 2009 12:36 by KSI

Court decision an attempt to criminalize the Kurdish population within the state of Turkey and to push Kurds out of democratic politics.

Court decision an attempt to criminalize the Kurdish population within the state of Turkey and to push Kurds out of democratic politics.

Turkey Bans DTP Party: Major Setback for Democracy

Kurdistan Solidarity Ireland condemns Friday’s decision by the Constitutional Court of Turkey to close down the pro-Kurdish secular and democratic DTP (Democratic Society Party).
The decision taken unanimously by the 11 judges of the highest court is political and signifies the Turkish regime’s disregard for the Kurdish population, the Kurdish peace initiative and primarily for DTP’s 2.5 million voters.
Despite the 10% election threshold intended to obstruct the representation of Kurds in parliament, the DTP succeeded in electing 22 parliamentarians in the 22 July 2007 elections, and subsequently formed a parliamentary group with 21 deputies. DTP won 98 municipalities in Kurdish-inhabited areas in the 29 March 2009 local elections and was the fourth-largest party group in parliament.
During its time in parliament the party submitted extensive projects aimed at bringing a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue and succeeded in bringing the issue to national prominence with unprecedented openness.
DTP parliamentarians are expected to resign their seats before being officially removed. All of the party’s assets will be transferred to the Treasury, according to the ruling.
We see this decision as an attempt to criminalize the Kurdish population within the state of Turkey and to push Kurds out of democratic politics .
The decision to also ban the entire party leadership as individuals from engaging in politics for five years is an attempt to undo the progress that has been made by DTP over the past number of years. It represents a major setback for democracy in Turkey.
The fact that extra military and police had been deployed in Kurdish cities in the run-up to the announcement by the court indicates that the regime expected this outcome of the court.
We also note the timing of the announcement on the day when EU leaders were discussing Turkey’s accession process in Brussels. The EU must take a harder line against Turkey’s failure to engage with the Kurdish Freedom Movement.
We condemn the ruling AKP for their increasing attacks against DTP members in the run-up to this decision, and for their failure to take significant steps towards peace.
We reject the “Kurdish Opening”/ “Democratic Opening” / “National Unity Project” of the AKP and see such widely publicised measures as empty, cynical and self-serving. The dis-enfranchisement of 2.5 million Kurdish voters by Friday’s decision is the true measure of respect for Kurdish rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Many Kurds and observers will acknowledge this move by the Turkish state as further evidence that the only course of action left for Kurds is to struggle militarily for their human and civil rights in a country that closes all avenues of democratic and cultural expression. This move further legitimises the existence of PKK.
Following the closures of previous pro-Kurdish parties HEP, DEP, OZDEP and HADEP, and the exile and/or incarceration of successive generations of Kurdish political leaders, this move indicates that little has changed in the mentality of the Turkish state towards Kurds.
We call on Irish representatives and the Irish public to condemn this decision and to support the efforts of the Kurdish leadership who work for peace and democracy. In particular to demand the reversal of the exclusion of the DTP leadership from politics.

Ahmet Turk, the co-chair of the DTP who is now banned from engaging in politics yesterday called for calm and restraint in the aftermath of the announcement, reassuring his constituents that the decision would not halt Kurdish efforts for peace and justice. “Turkey is going through a process, and we firmly believe one day they will be ready. Democracy and peace will become a reality. Turkey will not solve the problem by closing this party,” he added. KCK, the Confederation of Kurdish Organisations, also condemned the decision.

The following is a list of DTP parliamentarians who are now banned from participating in politics in Turkey:

Abdulkadir Fırat
Abdullah İsnaç
Ahmet Ay
Ahmet Ertak
Ahmet Türk
Ali Bozan
Ayhan Ayaz
Aydın Budak
Ayhan Karabulut
Aysel Tuğluk
Bedri Fırat
Cemal Kuhak
Deniz Yeşilyurt
Ferhan Türk
Fettah Dadaş
Hacı Üzen
Halit Kahraman
Hatice Adıbelli
Hüseyin Bektaşoğlu
Hüseyin Kalkan
Hilmi Aydoğdu
İzzet Belge
Kemal Aktaş
Leyla Zana
Mehmet Salim Sağlam
Mehmet Veysi Dilekçi
Metin Tekçe
Murat Avcı
Murat Taş
Musa Farisoğlulları
Necdet Atalay
Nurettin Demirtaş
Orhan Miroğlu
Sedat Yurttaş
Selim Sadak