NEWS CENTER - Recently, AKP's President Erdoğan told that Demirtaş will be held to account by Öcalan. Regarding Erdoğan's statement, HDP former Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş said: "How do you know what Mr. Öcalan whom you held under aggravated isolation for years think? Remove the isolation and let's see what Öcalan will say?"

 

The debates that started after AKP Chair Tayyip Erdoğan declared at the group meeting of his party on January 12 that Demirtaş will be held to account by PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, continues. Selahattin Demirtaş, former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) made a statement on Twitter and said: "Politicians are held to account by the people, their parties, to the parliament and to INDEPENDENT judiciary. Stop worrying about me and think about what you will say when the people hold you to account."

 

PERCEPTION MANAGEMENT

 

Targeted by Erdoğan, Demirtaş answered the questions of journalist Yusuf Özdemir from Yeni Yaşam Newspaper. Stating that Erdoğan's statements are malevolent, Demirtaş said: "It is an attempt of perception management. When we look at Erdoğan's stance during the peace process and and his practices regarding the Kurds, you will see that this statement is malevolent. Another aim of Erdoğan when he say this is to confuse the Kurds and this is wrong but it won't work. We have supported all initiatives taken towards peace and we made efforts for these initiatives to succeed. We never hesitated when it comes to establishing peace. I am a politician that worked on democratic politics for a long time. I have no other mission or role. These empty words have no value in our world. No one should take these kinds of words seriously." 

 

ENEMY LAW

 

Expressing that the AKP-MHP alliance applies the law that is hostile to the HDP and the Kurds, Demirtaş said, “We as the HDP, have a will. I have been in prison for more than five years because we did not allow this will to be crushed and ignored. I'll say it once again, we will not allow the government to attempt to break our will, to treat us like something less than human. We represent the will of the people. We answer to those who do not respect this will by being strong and stepping up our struggle. I hope everyone understands this clearly and respects it. We will not take those who undermine what was done to our people and our party seriously. The AKP-MHP alliance has still not taken a step back from applying the ugliest enemy law on us. We determine our policy on practice, not cheap rhetoric.”

 

'REMOVE THE ISOLATION' 

 

Drawing attention to the isolation on PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Demirtaş said: "What we should ask about Erdoğan's words is how he knows what Mr. Öcalan whom he is holding under aggravated isolation for years thinks. Remove the isolation and we'll see what he has to say together. Subjecting Mr. Öcalan to such aggravated isolation and speaking on his behalf is not a moral attitude.

 

'A MEETING WITH ÖCALAN MUST BE DONE ASAP'

 

Stating that there is a very strict isolation in İmralı, Demirtaş: "I must emphasize once more that there is no concrete information on if anyone is in contact with him. What we know is that the isolation continues for years in the most strict way possible. I don't have a chance to know if there will be a meeting with him or what will be on the table in that meeting. I have been geld in a cell for 5 years and 2 months. We support all sincere initiatives taken for peace in principle. No one should oppose a step taken towards peace and no one would. Who wouldn't want the conflict to end, the deaths to stop. We among anyone else want the bloodshed to end. Aren't we the ones who made efforts about this the most? Me and my friends have been paying the price of wanting peace by being held in prisons for years.I sincerely think there must be a meeting with Öcalan as soon as possible. There are things that can't be solved without him being involved. However, as we have mentioned before, the final address of the solution is the parliament and HDP is the addressee in the parliament. Öcalan have already said this a long time ago."

 

'THESE ARE GAMES THEY PLAY FOR ELECTIONS'

 

Underlining that the statement of Erdoğan is a game he plays for elections, Demirtaş said: "If Erdoğan has a plan to have a meeting in İmralı, doing this by comparing him to me is wrong and dangerous. Thinking that his motivation is not to stop the bloodshed but investing for an election is absolutely normal under these circumstances. HDP administration is the only one that will decide what HDP will do. And it is not so hard to foresee what they will do since there is a document of attitude released by the HDP. HDP will be in favour of peace for sure howeverit has the experience and foresight to know that peace is not possible without democracy. As before, we will continue on our path, not focusing on what the government says about us but focusing on our own agenda."