Prosecutor summarizes accusations against HDP

Prosecutor summarizes accusations against HDP
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A growing participation in protests in front of HDP offices "is proof that HDP has failed to distance itself froom PKK," the chief prosecutor has said.

The chief prosecutor of Turkey's high court of appeal made a summary of the indictment against the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the Constitutional Court.

The prosecution asks for a ban on HDP over accusations that the party has provided space for the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated a "terrorist group" by Ankara. Upon an application by the prosecution, the Constitutional Court recently ordered a "precautionary blockage" of HDP's bank account that holds funds provided by the Turkish Treasury in the context of financial support to political parties that received over 3% of the popular vote in the previous election.

Chief prosecutor Bekir Sahin told a group of reporters after his 45-minute brief at the courtroom on Tuesday that he presented all the evidence to the panel of judges. Instead of citing any particular evidence, Sahin went on to say that "it is no secret to the public that the indicted party has links to the terrorist group."

"85 million people know that the party is not independent from PKK, that it is an instrument of PKK, and is steered by PKK," he added.

Sahin also claimed that HDP served as the "recruiting department" of PKK, and referred as evidence to state-sponsored protests in front of HDP offices, in which some families accuse HDP officials of being complicit in the "abduction" of their children by the PKK.

Sahin said that a growing participation in the protests in the course of the lawsuit "is proof that HDP has failed to distance itself from PKK."

Asked whether or not a decision may be issued by the Constitutional Court before the coming elections, the chief prosecutor said:

"This is up to the supreme court. Our job is finished today. We presented all the evidence."

The HDP officials will make their defense statements at the next hearing of the trial, after which the court's rapporteur will prepare a report and present it to the court to be reviewed before the verdict.