Turkey’s government has told other countries to stop interfering in its judicial system after facing international criticism for moving to ban a pro-Kurdish opposition party over claims it’s working “together with PKK terrorists.”
On Wednesday, Turkey’s appeals court chief prosecutor, Bekir Sahin, filed a case in the country’s constitutional court seeking the permanent closure and disbandment of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), the latest move by the government targeting pro-Kurdish forces.
The prosecutorial move resulted in swift condemnation from the US State Department, as American officials decried the case as attempting to “unduly subvert the will of Turkish voters.” However, Sahin argues that it is a justified legal move to tackle a party that works “together with the PKK terrorist group and other linked organizations.”
In a statement issued to the media on Thursday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry went further in rebuffing the criticism the case has received, accusing other countries of attempting to intervene in Ankara’s domestic judicial process.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has already been outlawed by Turkey, having rallied against the country’s government for decades in an effort to secure more rights for Kurds, and it is recognized as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, the UK and the European Union.
The HDP is the third-largest party in Turkey’s parliament and has repeatedly denied allegations of links to militant groups or terrorist organizations. It has faced growing pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his political allies since 2015, after a deal between the Turkish government and the PKK fell apart.
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