In November 2016, our co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ were arrested along with 10 parliamentarians, including two Parliamentary Group Deputy. Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the November 4 coup that targeted our party.
Our former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüsekdağ and other elected officials who have been imprisoned since November 2016 released messages on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of their imprisonment. Their messages are as follows:
The message of former co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ:
Former co-chair Yüksekdağ said, "Our dear people, attacks against our party that represents the hope and resilience of the peoples, women and humanity continues unabated. But, of course, we will not leave the path of hope and resilience, no matter what happens. Those who thought they could beat us, destroy us four years ago on November 4 were wrong; they have failed, they will fail again. The day is the day to embrace the HDP and our historical righteousness and strengthen our unity and solidarity.
The message of former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş:
Those who raided our homes on the night of November 4, 2016, those who kidnapped us, taken us hostages are now reaching the point of exhaustion. They are in a total disintegration and dissolution process. Their dreams of destroying the HDP have become nightmares. What had we said before? 'We are hard nuts to crack; your teeth will fall out as you try to chew us' And today is that day. This is why we are resisting, we are succeeding, we are winning.
The message of former co-chair Sebahat Tuncel:
It has been four years since the political coup against the HDP and in this process, the political and economic crisis in Turkey has deepened. Law has become a tool of suppression for AKP- MHP fascist government. The attacks against the law on bars and social media, the rights of the workers, the women who are fighting for İstanbul convention have increased. The trustee policy against the Kurdish people's will has become a fundamental policy for the government. Nature was plundered and society continued to be oppressed, smothered. But this oppression, this persecution made us even stronger and resilient.
Our struggle will surely succeed. Nobody should doubt that. Now is the time for freedom and it is more important than ever to build the future by organizing freedom. Those who planned the November 4 coup are doomed to lose. They have come to the end of the road. We are, on the other hand, at the beginning of the road. This is the beginning of the struggle. We will resist, organize and win. In prisons or out there in the fields, factories, streets. We will organize, and we will win!
The message of former Parliamentary Group Deputy İdris Baluken:
We are leaving behind the 4th year of the November 4 coup attempt against the will of our people. During this period, we have been proud of not taking a single step back from our struggle for peace, democracy, freedom and justice. The determined stance and strong will of our peoples have been our greatest support in terms of morale and source of strength. We sincerely believe that this will and belief will bring us closer to a bright and free future. The November 4 coup is one of the milestones that paved the way for the political, social, legal and economic collapse the country is experiencing today. The solution to saving our peoples and our country from collapse requires overcoming all unlawfulness. With our firm belief, we promise all our peoples and comrades that we will continue our struggle resolutely. We wish everyone success on this honorable path.
The message of former Parliamentary Group Deputy Çağlar Demirel:
It's been four years! What has changed in Turkey? Oppression, assimilation, arrests have increased. We have always said November 4 was a political coup. This political coup continues. We have witnessed once again that the problems could not be resolved, with a purge process directed at women, Kurds and democratic forces of the country. It's clear that the solution only can be achieved through democratic politics and the free expression of peoples, identities, thoughts. It is clear that the AKP government can no longer rule this country. The peoples of Turkey have seen this clearly with the government’s handling of Corona pandemic.
People have become poorer and poorer. Hostile policies increased in both domestic and foreign politics. We were locked up for telling these to the people. The spirit of resistance that has brought us to this day, will continue. We have spoken up against the unfair and unlawful practices and we'll continue to do so. My greetings and love to the peoples.
The message of former MP Abdullah Zeydan:
The ongoing attacks against HDP have been nullified by the determined stance of our people. HDP has been able to stand tall against this relentless oppression. We will continue our struggle for the honor and freedom of all the peoples, especially the Kurdish people, and we will surely gift a dignified free life to all peoples.
The message of former Diyarbakır Co-Mayor Gültan Kışanak:
The November 4 coup was carried out to completely block the Kurdish people's participation in democratic politics. Kurds are making an intense effort to insist on democratic politics, despite all the injustices and unlawfulness they have faced. However, in the last 4 years, people's participation to both local and general politics are being blocked with fascist practices. It is clear that this is not just the Kurdish people's problem. This is a problem for all the peoples living in this country. All political parties that claim to believe in democratic politics should take a clear stance on this issue and establish a strong line of struggle. We are being held as political hostages. But I would like to express once again that we have never bowed to fascism and we never will!
4 November 2020