Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul criticized the attempt to dismantle the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and to strip Mp Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu of his parliamentary seat.
“The former president sees this step as a grave mistake, and will impose a burden on the Turkish government, which promised to introduce civil reforms;” Turkish media reported, pointing out that “past experiences have shown that dismantling parties and lifting immunities strengthens terrorist organizations.”
The Turkish public prosecutor asked the country’s highest court to ban the party accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of committing “terrorist” activities.
“Terrorism can only be countered by the promotion of democracy and human rights,” former Turkish President Gul noted.
In a statement last Wednesday, the HDP denounced what it described as a “political coup”, saying that Erdogan is seeking to eliminate it before the next elections.
It is noteworthy that last Wednesday, the Turkish Parliament lifted the parliamentary immunity of Omar Gergerlioglu, a representative of the “Peoples’ Democratic Party”, after he was convicted in late February of “terrorism”, and sentenced to two and a half years in prison, but he was not arrested at the time because he enjoyed parliamentary immunity at the time.
