Turkey's Justice Minister Threatens Pro-Kurdish DEM Party with Legal Action and Closure
Turkey's Justice Minister, Yilmaz Tunc, issued a warning to the main pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DEM) on Wednesday, stating that they risk legal action, including closure, if they do not distance themselves from Kurdish militants.
DEM is the successor party to the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which is currently facing the possibility of closure due to alleged militant links in a court case.
Tunc mentioned that closure cases have been initiated against parties for supporting terrorism in the past, and some have been banned while others are still ongoing.
A Turkish official warned the Democratic Party (DEM) to distance themselves from terrorism to avoid legal consequences, following the ongoing trials of jailed HDP leaders over 2014 protests.
The expected verdict in the case was postponed.
DEM Party co-chair Tuncer Bakirhan responded by rejecting threats and blackmail, amid allegations of government influence over the courts.
The HDP, a political party in Turkey, is accused by prosecutors and the government of having ties to the terrorist group PKK.
The HDP denies any connection to terrorism.
The PKK initiated an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, resulting in over 40,000 deaths.
A peace process between Ankara and the PKK ended in 2015, leading to the arrest and jailing of thousands of HDP officials and members in a crackdown.