AKP’s chair Erdogan, who speaks as the President of the Republic of Turkey, managed to utter the words "He is a terrorist" referring to our Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş in a statement he made in Hamburg.
1. Selahattin Demirtaş is not a terrorist but the co-chair of the HDP and he represents the will of millions. He is a member of parliament. He is an honorable person who was nominated for the presidency. With his struggle and ideas he has become a symbol of hope for the people living in Turkey and has earned a place in their hearts and minds.
2. With his statement Erdoğan clearly intervenes in proceedings and the judiciary, and he is, in effect, dictating the verdict. At the same time he is openly threatening the Constitutional Court of Turkey.
3. In addition to all this, for Erdoğan to say, precisely one sentence before calling Demirtaş a terrorist, "Turkey is a country under the rule of law," and then, a minute later, for him to say, "The judiciary is independent," is frankly, quite noteworthy: He is lying, in both cases.
4. It is in no way acceptable for a President to give speeches in this tone. We condemn and protest this statement by Erdoğan in the strongest manner possible. History will tell who the terrorist is.
5. We would like to share with the public our determination to hold the AKP Chairperson accountable for his abovementioned arrogant words - both in the political sphere, and in the field of international law.
Peoples’ Democratic Party
Central Executive Board
8 July 2017