No: 110, 18 March 2021, Press Release Regarding the Statements of Some Countries About Developments at the Turkish Grand National Assembly

Statements of some countries on recent developments at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) are not in line with the principle of the rule of law.

Gergerlioğlu, who had been given final judicial sentence, lost his membership of the GNAT after the said final sentence was notified to the General Assembly in line with the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the GNAT. This is a matter of implementation of due process of law as seen in other Parliaments.

In conformity with the Constitution and the Law on Political Parties, Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation filed a case before the Constitutional Court requesting the dissolution of HDP, on grounds of their statements and actions that are not in line with the democratic and universal principles of law, acting together with the PKK terrorist organization and its affiliated organizations, and engaging in activities as an extension of the PKK.

In this process, everybody should wait for the decision of the Constitutional Court. Commenting on ongoing legal procedures constitutes an interference with the law.

Political parties are among the indispensable elements of democratic political life. However, their actions must respect the democratic and universal principles of law in a peaceful manner.

We call upon those who act inconsistently and attempt to interfere with our internal affairs, to respect the legal processes conducted by the independent judiciary.