The Association for Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD) Women's Commission and the Rosa Women's Association launched a petition calling for the lifting of the immunity of opposition politician women, especially the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) women parliamentarians, and for the suspension of the judicial processes initiated against them to be stopped.

 

CALL TO THE PARLIAMENT

 

In the petition launched with the title of "Don't interfere with right to vote and stand for election, the right to engage in politics", a call was made to all members of the Parliament to do their duty and to stop these unlawful process. In the petition, the following was underlined: "Women, who are the founding of the social opposition, are being targeted by the government."

 

WOMEN ARE STRUGGLING FOR THEIR RIGHTS

 

In the text, it is emphasized that women who struggle for rights and engage politics with their Kurdish and female identity are seen "dangerous" and are tried to be discredited, the following was stated, "Male power cannot even tolerate the voices and words of Kurdish women. All of the women MPs from the opposition parties who are marginalized, and in particular Kurdish women MPs, are exposed to harassment and provoked every day doing their jobs which is a manifestation of the militarist and masculine mentality."

 

THE NAMES OF MPS WHOSE IMMUNITY HAVE BEEN LIFTED

 

Parliamentary immunities of dozens of women including Van MP Figen Yüksekdağ, Diyarbakır MP Nursel Aydoğan, Şırnak MP Leyla Birlik, Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım, Hakkari MP Selma Irmak, Siirt MP Besime Konca, Diyarbakır MP Çağlar Demirel, Adana MP Meral Danış Beştaş, Muş MP Burcu Çelik Özkan, Şırnak MP Tuba Hezer were lifted and they were sent to prison with flimsy accusations, or forced to leave the country. The criminalisation of parliamentary activities of women politicians has continued, and in the last two years, the immunities of Hakkari MP Leyla Güven and Diyarbakır MP Semra Güzel have been lifted. A similar process has recently been initiated against Diyarbakır MP Saliha Aydeniz, and Saliha Aydeniz's file has been sent to the Joint Commission to be discussed in the Parliament's subcommittee.

 

THE LIFTING OF THE IMMUNITIES SHOULD STOP

 

As a requirement of our struggle to stand up for democratic norms, we call on the public to support this petition to end the process initiated in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) regarding the lifting of the immunity of Diyarbakır MP Saliha Aydeniz. We call on all parties and parliamentarians in the parliament, especially the main opposition party, reminding them that it is their main duty to protect democratic norms and demand that they vote against it.”

 

Campaign link can be found here