BURSA - Notes including the phrase “JITEM” were left by an unidentified person or persons to the HDP Gürsu District Organisation. The police replied the party leaders who applied to the police station, and said "It must be a child's prank. There is no need for an investigation."

 

Threat notes were left by an unidentified person at the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Bursa Gürsu District Organisation on the evening of April 26. A threat note was left in front of the HDP district building, including the names of AKP president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and MIT undersecretary Hakan Fidan and other officials affiliated with the AKP. Party executives submitted the note to the Gürsu Police Station and Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and filed a criminal complaint. HDP Gürsu District Co-chair Yücel Demir made evaluations about the notes left to the district organisation.

 

'WE HAVE BEEN THREATENED BEFORE'

 

Noting that "JITEM" was written in the notes left to the district organisation, Demir stated that as a party, they have been subjected to such threats and harassment for years. Demir said that they always faced these threats because of their party work. Demir said, "Previously, the Greywolves  affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) threatened us with death. We didn't take it very seriously." 

 

POLICE CLAIMS ITS A CHILD'S PRANK

 

Stating that he informed the party management after finding the notes, Demir noted that they later filed a criminal complaint with the Gürsu Police Station and Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Demir said that the police then called the them to examine the footage and claimed that the person who left the note was a 16-year-old boy. Demir said, “The police officer told us, 'He is a 16-year-old boy, there is no need for an investigation.' I told them that a 16-year-old boy finds the courage to threaten us with JİTEM. Not taking a person who knows JİTEM seriously is not a right thing to do and that there is someone who taught him these things." 

 

Stating that these notes were not left by just one person but through someone else, Demir said, “We told the police that we wanted this incident to be investigated. If the person who wrote this note was a 16-year-old child, we requested that his child's handwriting should be identified. It could have been given to him by someone else. They may  be using that child.” 

 

THE POLICE KNOWS WHO DID IT

 

Demir stated that the police at the police station said that they knew the name of the person but they would not share the name with them, and said, “The police said that the person was a fugitive. If they want, they can catch the boy. The purpose of this is to cover up the issue because a 16-year-old boy talks about JİTEM, he talks about drugs. He is exposing the names of the police. The aim of the police is to dissusade us from filing a criminal complaint.  We will do everything we can until this situation is revealed. We'll find out where they got the courage to threaten us. We will take the necessary steps in this regard."

 

'WE WILL CONTINUE FOLLOWING THE CASE'

 

Expressing that they are worried about their life safety due to the threat notes, Demir continued: "Seeing JİTEM in a note, naturally makes us feel concerned about our lives. They are literally trying to scare us by bringing up the past. By bringing up the 90s, and the organisation that killed dozens of Kurds, they are trying to scare us and passify us. But we will continue folowing up this case closely."

 

GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT

 

Pointing out that these threats were made by certain groups, Demir concluded his words as follows: “They use young people for things like that because the court doesn't give them prison sentence. We will not allow that. We are the grandchildren of Seyid Riza and Sheikh Said. These notes including the name of JİTEM can not scare us."

 

 

MA / Doğan Kaynak