HDP Co-Chair Buldan Shares the Details of ‘March for Democracy Against the Coup’

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Pervin Buldan attended a meeting as part of their "Democratic Struggle Program" at the Democratic Society Congress (HDK) Central Office in İstanbul today (June 11).

Before meeting the co-chairs of HDK constituents, Buldan addressed the reporters in front of the office and also talked about the "March for Democracy Against the Coup" to be held by the party on June 15-20.

As reported earlier, the march will start from Edirne and Hakkari provinces, continue with statements for the press and welcoming ceremonies in the provinces along the route and will end in the capital city of Ankara.

In her speech today, Buldan has shared details about the march:

'Let's take joint action with democracy forces'

"We know that several segments of the society are troubled with this course of events. Society feels a great discomfort in the face of all these attacks. I would like to note that we initiated this march for democracy to say we are not desperate or without an alternative in the face of all these attacks.

"We, in fact, brought our democracy march into being with our 'Democratic Attitude Document' that we released on June 1. Our march for democracy will not be limited to the one that will start in Edirne and Hakkari and end in Ankara, nor is it a plan that started with it.

"We announced this march of ours for democracy against the coup with our attitude document on June 1, we shared it with the public of Turkey.

"The first message of the march is a call for an end to wars and a joint struggle for jobs and daily bread so that the problems of democracy, justice, women's freedom, environment, Kurdish question prevailing in Turkey can be solved with a democratic solution.

"With our document of attitude, we also made a call for drafting up a new Constitution. What Turkey needs the most now is an immediate change of this Constitution that denies the peoples and restricts freedoms and the need for a new Constitution.

"We have made calls for this. Some people are troubled with it. We underline that not only the HDP, but all democracy forces need to take a joint action so that all these issues that we have listed can be brought into life."

'We will come together with workers, women'

"As for our second message, it is a message to the government, to the political power holders: We will never take a step back. Attacks will not make use take a step back from our struggle for democracy and freedom.

"Our document of attitude has created a great reaction. Then has come the march for democracy against the coup that we will start from Edirne and Hakkari and go to Ankara so that the other steps can be taken.

"On June 15, I will set off from Edirne and our Co-Chair Mithat Sancar will set off from Hakkari. Our aim is to integrate with the society along our route to Ankara, to be together with the society and to meet all segments.

"Especially in İstanbul, we consider it to be essential to meet with workers, laborers and women. What we will do in İstanbul is also to visit civil society organizations, political parties, democratic organizations and women's organizations, to discuss the process with them and to reiterate our call to take a joint action in our march for democracy.

"Edirne and Hakkari are two symbolically important cities of Turkey in the west and in the east. It is because Edirne is the city where our former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and Hakkari MP Abdullah Zeydan are in prison and Hakkari is the city where Leyla Güven, the DTK Co-Chair stripped of MP status, arrested and released five days later, was elected an MP."

Concluding her remarks, Buldan has indicated that the message to be given by them in these two cities will include right violations in prisons as well as the appointment of trustees and attacks targeting HDP politicians. (EMK/SD)