30/09/2020 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz
LGBTI+ activist Cihan Erdal was also detained in operation, which ended up with the detainment of 82 former HDP executives in 7 provinces. Erdal, a former Central Executive Committee member of the HDP, was also one of the founders of the LGBTI Peace Initiative.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ankara decided to detain 82 people in 7 provinces as part of the "investigation regarding the Kobane demonstrations" held in 2014.
On the morning of September 25, former mayors and parliament members from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), and several party executives were detained by home raids.
HDP Headquarters reacted to the operation by saying, "The HDP has not bowed down to your coups, and will not bow down". On social media, #HDPSusturulamaz (You can't silence HDP) has entered the TT list.
Reminding the detention of Kars Mayor Ayhan Bilgen, former MPs Sırrı Süreyya Önder and several former Central Executive Committee members, co-chairperson of HDP Mithat Sancar said the following:
"These operations were carried out under the pretext of the events of October 6-8. Let us remind you that our party is not responsible for these events. Although they have tried for 6 years, they have shown absolutely no evidence to confirm our party's responsibility in these events. They have not shown any reasonable, credible justification to make our party accountable for these events."
LGBTI+ activist Cihan Erdal is under custody too
LGBTI+ activist Cihan Erdal is also among those who have been taken into custody. Erdal, a Ph.D. student at The University of Carleton in Canada, was detained while in Istanbul as part of their thesis research.
Cihan 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
