Pro-Kurdish BDP Facing Probe into 'Democratic Autonomy'
The Court of Appeals Public Chief Prosecution launched an investigation into the 2nd Ordinary Convention of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). Both the BDP and the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) defined the "democratic autonomy" model as one of their targets as it was also included into the statutes of the 2nd BDP Convention.
As a result of the investigation, Court of Appeals Public Chief Prosecutor Hasan Erbil confirmed an "organic tie" between the Democratic Society Congress and the Peace and Democracy Party.
The decision for a "democratic autonomy" was one of the main results of the DTK meeting in Diyarbakır on 14 July 2011. It emerged on the agenda with the correspondent announcement made by Aysel Tuğluk at the end of the DTK meeting. The Diyarbakır Public Chief Prosecution initiated an investigation into the matter right away.
One year prior to that decision and before the referendum on constitutional reforms on 12 September 2010, former Court of Appeals Public Chief Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya had announced, "We support freedom of expression of political parties. Yet when words turn into action, sanctions as stipulated in the constitution and laws will be applied. Political parties must respect the judiciary and the law". Yalçınkaya did not explicitly name the BDP in his statement but referred to the demand of democratic autonomy.
When the DTK announced the "democratic autonomy" model, Yalçınkaya declared that the Court of Appeals Public Chief Prosecution was going to launch a probe according to Articles 78, 80, 81, 82 and 98 of the Political Parties Law investigating potential organic ties between the pro-Kurdish congress and any political party.
The "Democratic Autonomy Project" was initiated by the now defunct Democratic Society Party (DTP). The project became the reason for a closure of the party by the Constitutional Court according to the aforementioned articles of the Political Parties Law. After Chief Prosecutor Erbil confirmed "organic ties" between the DTK and BDP, a new application for the closure of the BDP might come up based on the very same articles.
More custodies
Meanwhile, another 21 people allegedly affiliated with the BDP were taken into police custody in Şırnak in the beginning of this week. The police raided district offices of the BDP and private homes in the course of an operation against the Union of Kurdistan Communities (KCK), the umbrella organization that includes the militant outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
37 out of a total of 55 people who were taken into police custody in the scope of similar raids in Siirt on 17 September were brought to the prosecution in Diyarbakır. (IK/IC/NV/VK)