HDP Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair: Our Building Under Police Blockade

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The Diyarbakır Provincial Building of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has been taken under police surveillance after the candidate applications for the local elections in March 2019 opened on November 20.

Speaking to bianet, HDP Diyarbakır Provincial Co-Chair Filiz Buluttekin has stated that police officers have surrounded their provincial party building and recorded the images and video footages of everyone entering or leaving the building from morning till night for the last three days.

Emphasizing that no similar procedure is being applied to the provincial buildings of any political parties in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır, Buluttekin is of the opinion that the aim of this practice is to intimidate the ones who would like to apply to the party as a candidate.

"Vice Governor said he will inform the Governor"

"With the opening of nomination candidacies, we are blockaded with panzers, armored vehicles, weapons in sight, cameras and voice recording devices. Everyone leaving or entering our building are recorded.

"I met the Vice Governor in charge of Security. I said that this situation is unacceptable and no such scenes occur in front of other parties.

"As for the Vice Governor, all he said was 'I will inform our Esteemed Governor.' We want to talk to the Governor himself about the issue as well, but we cannot reach him in any way.

"As if it was a forbidden place..."

"We are faced with an oppression which aims to influence the candidacy process of the prospective candidates.

"They are trying to make an impression as if it was a criminal, forbidden place. We find this situation unacceptable.

"We receive applications like other parties"

"We are the third biggest party in the Parliament and we are receiving applications ahead of local elections like other political parties.

"It is not the case for the buildings of other political parties in Diyarbakır. Only the Justice and Development Party (AKP) building has been protected since July 15, 2016 (coup attempt), but there is a different image with us. It does not seem that our building is protected for reasons of security." (EKN/SD)

* Photograph: Mezopotamya Agency