05/10/2020 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz
17 former HDP executives who were detained priorly are arrested.
17 of the 20 former central executive committee members of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who were detained by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office within the scope of the "investigation of Kobane demonstrations" which took place in 2014, were arrested.
Following the inquiries that continued until the morning, the court ruled for the release of Altan Tan, Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Gülfer Akkaya condition of judicial control, and the arrest of Ayhan Bilgen, Ayla Akat Ata, Alp Altınörs, Nazmi Gür, Emine Ayna, Bircan Yorulmaz , Berfin Özgü Köse, Dilek Yağlı, Can Memiş, Günay Kubilay, Bülent Barmaksız, Zeki Çelik, Pervin Oduncu, İsmail Şengün, Ali Ürküt, Cihan Erdal, Emine Beyza Üstün.
About Cihan Erdal
LGBTI+ activist Cihan Erdal is also among those who have been arrested. Erdal, a Ph.D. student at The University of Carleton in Canada, was detained while in Istanbul as part of their thesis research.
Erdal was a member of the Party Assembly and the Central Executive Committee of the HDP for two consecutive terms. Erdal, who has also been involved in the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) and the HDP's LGBTI commissions for many years, is also one of the founders of the LGBTI Peace Initiative:
"We also think that the fight against heterosexism in the LGBTI issue cannot be separated from the struggle against capitalism and all other sources of inequality. The HDP is a party that aims to eradicate homophobia and transphobia-based discrimination. On the other hand, there is a "New Life" politics that we propose in general. We say that this policy and proposal is equally valid and necessary for Kurds, for trans' and for homosexuals. We can't solve the intertwined and complicated state of identity, social, ecological problems with answers that isolate all these problem areas from each other. There will be no new life there."
Responding to questions from KaosGL.org after the HDP's success in the election of June 2015, Erdal had said, "A political party that openly defends LGBTI rights, proposes LGBTI equality and freedom in great detail with a separate title in the election program, and declares it everywhere, has torn down the election threshold."
Tags: human rights, life
