Deniz ZENGİN, Ph.D.
Our guest today is Rebecca Harms, the former deputy of the Green Party, and the politician who has been representing Germany in the European Parliament since 2004.
Today, we discussed with Harms about HDP deputy Gergerlioğlu’s case which has concluded with criminal conviction.
Please enjoy reading.
How do you evaluate the situation HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu being convicted in such a case?
In a democratic state and based on rule of law and separation of powers, a Member of Parliament like Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu would not lose his mandate and would not be imprisoned with such an indictment. The ruling AKP under President Erdogan is using the judiciary to get rid of the opposition politicians. Since the imprisonment of HDP leaders, there can be no doubt about this.
Considering the attitude of the government of Turkey not taking into account of the decisions of European Court of Human Rights, what will be the position of the European Union against the conviction of Mr. Gergerlioğlu?
The way Turkish authorities and courts are ignoring ECHR rulings should finally get a stronger response by the EU.
For some judges and prosecutors, the EU should finally consider using the EU Human Rights Act’s possibilities for personalized sanctions.
The rights of 6 million voters who vote for HDP are being usurped. How do you evaluate this?
While criminalizing the opposition politicians in national parliament but also in the regions and communities, the political majority in Parliament refuses to respect democratic elections and the vote of the citizens. This means a deepening of splits in Turkish society and more escalation as a strategy. Shutting down an opposition party is at the same time a symptom of the political weakness which is overpaid by criminalizing and terrorizing the opposition to also threaten supporters and electorate.
What is your message for Turks who want democracy?
It is depressing that we, as friends of Turkey, have not been able to get other colleagues and friends like Selahattin Demirtaş or Osman Kavala or Ahmet Altan to name only some out of prison. There are so many people incarcerated in Turkey and every week new rulings are made to send more journalists, politicians, teachers, students, human rights defenders to prison. Sending a human rights defender like MP Gergerlioğlu to prison is a shame. He should be rewarded and not be punished for defending humanity.
This systematic criminalization I can now only repeat what I often said before: I admire the courage of the many lawyers, politicians, journalists and citizens in Turkey still standing for democracy, human rights and freedom of thought and media.