Governors of 16 cities restricted entries and exits to their cities as well as prohibition decisions regarding the democracy march that started from Hakkari and Edirne, two different points in Turkey.  In addition to these decisions, HDP members, who were frequently blocked by law enforcement officers along the way, were subjected to physical violence by the police in many centers, especially in Bismil district of Diyarbakır.

 

HDP Party Assembly and Law Commission member Attorney Alişan Şahin spoke to Mesopotamia Agency (MA) about these prohibitions and the attacks against MPs.

 

Stating that these decisions taken by the governors were arbitrary, shared that they have applied to Administrative Courts regarding these decisions. 

 

Şahin said: "These prohibitions have no legal basis. When we look at what happened during the march as a whole, the emphasis is placed on 'Possible encounter with dissenter groups' as the reason for these prohibitions. However no such encounter was experienced along the way. When we examine the footage, we see that those dissenter groups were the police."

 

Şahin alss stated that no investigation was launced against those who made provocative statements on the televisions before the march started. Şahin underlining that the duty of the state is to facilitate the activities of a political party, said the government had to protect the HDP's represantatives instead of being a party of the conflict. Stressing that political parties are not only composed of deputies, the Central Executive Board and the Party Assembly, but also the managers, members, and those who sympathize with that party, have the right to go out and engage in politics on the streets. Şahin said: "Right now we are not in a state of emergency, likewise, there are no restrictions on a person's rights and freedoms in the State of Emergency. Unfortunately, we have been through all these in this country. And we are concerned that we will continue to go through these things. Article 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights have been violated and we are reporting every right violation. We will file criminal complaints about all of them."

 

 

MA / Berivan Altan