Persecution Of Kurdish Mps

EDM number 761 in 2017-19, proposed by Grahame Morris on 10/01/2018.
Categorised under the topics of Eastern Europe, International politics and government, Middle East and Prisons.

That this House expresses grave concern over the sentencing of elected Kurdish MP Idris Baluken on 4 January 2018 to 16 years and eight months in jail; notes that Mr Baluken has been an elected parliamentarian in Turkey since 2011, and has played an active role as a mediator in peace process negotiations between the Turkish state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK); further expresses concern that on 5 January 2018 former MP Sebahat Tuncel was sentenced to two years and three months in prison for speaking at a Kurdish New Year event; further notes that Tuncel, a women's rights advocate and former nurse, was targeted for her advocacy for Kurdish rights and senior position in the Peoples' Democratic Party; expresses concern over the sentencing to prison of four other HDP officials and MPs Aysel Tugluk, Leyla Birlik, Nursel Aydoglan and Adem Geveri; condemns the political nature of these arrests and trials which took place in the context of a state of emergency, along with the simultaneous arrest of almost 100 HDP elected politicians and thousands of activists (EDM 602); condemns this attempt to eliminate Kurdish MPs from the Turkish parliament, denying millions of their democratic voice; expresses concern that the judiciary seems to be guided in these matters by the Turkish Government; notes that this judicial process has been described by Idris Baluken as political genocide; calls for the immediate release of HDP politicians from prison; and further calls for the Government to urge Turkey to stop its politically-motivated repression of the HDP.

This motion has been signed by a total of 35 MPs.