Two hundred eight members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been detained, 16 HDP members have been jailed and various party offices have been attacked 57 times in the last 45 days, prior to presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey on June 24, according to a report released by the HDP on Tuesday.
According to the report the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has increased pressure and attacks on the party due to its key role in the elections.
The attacks started on April 28 and continued up until the day the report was issued. The report also mentions district and provincial chairs and dozens of party members being detained during the campaign and says that young people were taken into custody for chanting slogans. HDP convoys, campaign office openings and rallies have all been carried out under police blockades, said the report.
HDP Co-chair Sezai Temelli has also been prevented from going abroad to campaign as his passport was confiscated and he was not allowed to leave the country. Police threatened HDP members who were campaigning and prevented them from dancing the halay as well as prohibiting them from hanging party banners in HDP offices. The report also included an attack against a convoy transporting HDP Co-chair Pervin Buldan in Nazilli and against voters in Ankara following a well-attended rally held by Temelli.
An attack against Kurdish construction workers in Karapürçek and Ankara and another attack when a truck driver rammed his vehicle into an HDP election bus in Kayseri province were also included in the report.
