PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“This is a serious blow against democracy and the rights of the Turkish people, who freely expressed their will at the ballot box two years ago, giving a good push of support to the opposition and thwarting Erdogan’s absolute majority. This is a deliberate effort to dismantle the opposition and falsify the cultural and political diversity of Turkey. It is a perverse trick. We demand the immediate liberation of these three political prisoners so they can fully continue to represent their constituents in the Turkish National Assembly.
“Erdogan plans to stay in power forever and he is instigating the persecution of the opposition in flagrant violation of their personal freedom and of the political rights of the Turkish people. He is imprisoning democratically elected members of parliament and mayors.”
The PES has continuously stood with its associate parties CHP and HDP in Turkey, throughout this crackdown on the opposition and will continue to support them for the good of Turkish democracy and all the peoples of Turkey.
