The Deputy will recall that my predecessor issued a statement expressing serious concerns when the co-chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic (HDP) Party, Figen Yüksekdað and Selahattin Demirtas, were arrested in November 2016. A representative of the Embassy in Ankara tried without success to gain access to the court when Figen Yüksekdað’s trial opened in July and, when Selahattin Demirtas’s trial opened on 7 December, a number of European Union and like-minded Embassies tried unsuccessfully to gain access to the court. Neither was Selahattin Demirtas allowed access to the court, since the authorities would only make a video-link available to him.
Notwithstanding the sensitive security situation in Turkey following the attempted coup in 2016, it is vital that the rule of law, freedom of expression and democracy should prevail. The arrest and detention of elected members of Parliament is especially worrying and I have repeatedly said that all those facing trial in Turkey must be afforded full due process, including the presumption of innocence and the right to a free and fair trial. The pre-trial detention of Selahattin Demirtas has already been lengthy and I am concerned that the level of transparency implicit in the right to due process is not being observed in this case. The Embassy in Ankara has regular contact with other HDP members of Parliament
and will continue to monitor both trials as closely as feasible.
In the meantime, I would reiterate earlier calls to the Turkish authorities to engage in dialogue so that outstanding issues can be resolved by political means. Turkey is a candidate country for membership of the European Union and, as such, is committed to adhering to European values. The Turkish authorities need to continue to engage in constructive dialogue on human rights and rule of law issues, including with the Council of Europe.
