Turkey: Co-chair of The Left meets with Kurdish politicians and activists

Janine Wissler, the co-chairwoman of The Left (Die Linke) in Germany and deputy in Bundestag, visited the offices of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) in Turkey's Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir on Sunday to meet with Saliha Aydeniz, the co-chairwoman of DBP.

DBP is part of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) that is currently facing a closure case in Turkey's Contitutional Court (AYM) on allegations of "providing space for the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)," designated a "terrorist group" by Ankara.

Angekommen in Diyarbakır. Ich bin in den nächsten Tagen in der Türkei, in der kurdischen Stadt Diyarbakır und in Ankara, um mich mit der HDP, Menschenrechtsorganisationen und Initiativen zu treffen und um am Kobane-Prozess teilzunehmen.@HDPgenelmerkezihttps://t.co/Z7UtS3LYNO

— Janine Wissler (@Janine_Wissler) February 5, 2023

On her arrival in Diyarbakir, Wissler said on Twitter:

"Arrived in Diyarbakır. I will be in Turkey, in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir and in Ankara in the next few days to meet with the HDP, human rights organizations and initiatives and to take part in the Kobani process."

She added:

"108 opposition figures have been charged, including the imprisoned former leaders of the HDP, Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas. They face long prison terms. With the threat of the HDP being banned, international solidarity and attention is urgently needed."