Turkey seizes HDP’s coordination center in earthquake zone
Turkish authorities on Wednesday have seized pro-Kurdish HDP's Crisis Coordination Center in Kahramanmaras’ Pazarcik district, the epicenter of the first earthquake that hit Southeastern Turkey on Feb.6.
The district governor Mustafa Hamit Kiyici who was running the operation in person has said they will appoint a trustee to facilitate the center’s work.
Pazarcık 10 gündür dayanışma ile ayakta duruyor. Dondurucu soğukta, zor koşullarda yardıma koşan insanlar kimi rahatsız eder? Elbette iktidarı! Pazarcık Hasankoca Köyü'nde kurulan Kriz Koordinasyon Merkezi'ne kayyım atanarak dayanışma malzemelerine el konulmak isteniyor! pic.twitter.com/wmKmN2JjVf
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) February 15, 2023
Earlier on the day, state-owned Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) also seized two HDP trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Gaziantep, another province devastated by the quakes. The trucks were loaded with 85 stoves and tonnes of firewood and coal, HDP said.
Siirt ve Batman’dan Nurdağı'na gönderdiğimiz 85 soba, tonlarca odun ve kömürün bulunduğu bir tır ve bir kamyona Antep girişinde AFAD ekiplerince el konuldu. Yardımlar Antep'te AFAD depolarına boşaltıldı. Bu malzemeler, dondurucu soğuk altındaki insanlarımızın acil talepleriydi!
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) February 15, 2023
In response to the operation, “Don't you dare to prevent these aids. We will continue to mobilize for our people,” Pervin Buldan, the co-chair of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) said.
Buldan said the district governor raided the warehouse where the aid was collected and threatened those working there of arrest should they don’t hand over the warehouse to the governorate to distribute the aid materials.
“Those who were not here in the first days of the earthquake, who did not bring aid to our people, now started an initiative to stop the HDP’s aid campaign. This is an eclipse of reason. It is not for anyone to prevent these aids while people are suffering from a great disaster, hunger and cold. No one has the right to do so. We will continue a great struggle to deliver all the aid and materials to our people, no matter what the cost,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Eş Genel Başkanımız Pervin Buldan, Maraş Pazarcık'taki yardım faaliyetlerimizin engellenmesine ilişkin açıklama yapıyor. #DayanışmayıEngelleme https://t.co/o02Z1TZ5yI
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) February 15, 2023
