Turkey: Pro-Kurdish party dismisses breakdown allegations with imprisoned former leader

After Selahattin Demirtas, the incarcerated former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) stated that there was not any problem between him and his party, HDP also made statements approving this. 

The parliamentary group chair of the HDP, Meral Danis Bestas, answered the questions of Gazete Duvar and said that there was no problem between them and Demirtas.

When asked about the tensions,  Bestas answered:

 “We see these. There is not a tension between us. Two weeks ago, our group deputy chair and our deputy visited him. Before that, our co-chair visited him. Every day lawyers visit him. We are constantly in contact. Mr. Selahattin is our previous co-chair, I worked with him for five or six years. There is a perception that is deliberately created as if there is a contradiction or a problem. We are aware of these. We also see these. Our way of saying things may be different, the words we use may be different, and our method may be different but the allegations of separation, conflict, and tension between HDP and Mr. Selahattin are meaningless and have no value.”

Bestas said that those who claim that there is a problem between HDP and Demirtas should watch the Kobane court case. 

Demirtas is a hostage

“Currently, Mr. Selahattin is a hostage. In this country, Adnan Menderes was executed when he was in power. This is a great shame for the history of Turkey. Now, a two-time presidential candidate, and one of the leaders of a party that received 13 percent of the votes is being held hostage in prison by the President and his party. We should think about that.”

Selahattin Demirtas, in an interview he gave to Arti Gercek writer Irfan Aktan, said the following about the allegations that he has problems with HDP: 

“I respect all criticism. I have shared my controversial articles, messages, and interviews with our head office for all these years before they are published. Just as I shared this interview with them, informed them, and received their opinions and suggestions, I make sure to do the same with my other statements. In this regard, there is no problem or separation between me and the Party.”