‘Don’t expel Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu from Parliament’

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After it was announced yesterday that Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu would be stripped of his MP status today (March 17), the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has released a written statement urging Turkey to not expel him from Parliament.

"Any move by Turkey's parliament to use an opposition politician's wrongful conviction for a social media post as a pretext to strip him of his parliamentary seat and jail him would compound the serious violation of his right to freedom of expression and violate the voters' right to choose their representatives," the HRW has said in its statement.

Commenting on the issue, Hugh Williamson, the Europe and Central Asia Director at the HRW, has also said: "Any move to strip Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu of his parliamentary seat as a prelude to jailing him would look like a reprisal by the Erdogan government for his brave and vocal stance in support of thousands of victims of human rights violations.

"Gergerlioğlu's conviction is a blatant violation of his right to free speech and using it as a pretext to expel him from parliament would show deep disdain for democratic norms and the right to political association.

"The deeply flawed conviction of Gergerlioğlu for a social media posting should not become the pretext to expel him from parliament and into jail.

"A decision of the Constitutional Court is pending on his case and in the meantime the government would do better to seriously address the human rights concerns raised by Gergerlioğlu and let him carry on his legitimate parliamentary work as an elected deputy."

CLICK - Gergerlioğlu to be stripped of MP status on March 17

The final ruling against Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu would be read out at the Plenary Session of the Parliament and he would be stripped of his MP status today.

As his prison sentence of 2 years, 6 months over a social media post from five years ago has been upheld by the Court of Cassation, Gergerlioğlu will be stripped of his MP status, which will pave the way for his imprisonment. Afterwards, he will serve 1 year, 10 months behind bars.

Gergerlioğlu has announced that he will attend the Plenary Session tomorrow and will not leave the Parliament, adding that he will not leave the Plenary Session if he is stripped of his MP status. The Parliamentary Group of the HDP will also not leave if any difficulties are raised.

What happened?

HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" on February 21, 2018 on the grounds of a social media post from 2016. This ruling given by the Kocaeli 2nd Heavy Penal Court has recently been upheld by the 16th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation.

Speaking shortly after this ruling was handed down, Gergerlioğlu said that the verdict was "political", adding, "Strip searches, abductions, tortures... Some people got disturbed by us talking about all these."

He also made an application to the Constitutional Court. (HA/SD)