MPs face police presence in 'Öcalan' demonstration

Executives and members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HEDEP) and the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) found themselves surrounded by a significant police presence during a demonstration in Diyarbakır’s Koşuyolu Park.  

The protest aimed to address concerns and demand improved conditions for Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

Öcalan has been imprisoned on the island of İmralı in the Sea of Marmara since 1999. He is serving a life sentence for violating article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes separatism. 

Öcalan’s imprisonment and the detention conditions have been a source of constant controversy and tension in the Turkish-Kurdish political sphere. He has been subjected to long periods of solitary confinement and isolation, with limited or no access to his lawyers, family, and the outside world. 

As the demonstration unfolded, an announcement from a police vehicle urged journalists to distance themselves from the gathering, leading to the establishment of a police cordon between the group and the media. Authorities took measures to restrict journalists from capturing footage, employing shields to block their view. 

Attempting to assert their rights to gather and express their demands, opposition leaders faced further challenges as police called in arrest teams. HEDEP MP Sinan Çiftyürek avoided detention during the initial police intervention. 

The tension escalated as riot police positioned themselves along the pool wall, preventing journalists from documenting the unfolding events. A clash between officers and journalists ensued when a police officer intentionally collided with reporters filming the scene, prompting criticism from HEDEP MP Çiçek Otlu. 

Throughout the demonstration, HEDEP MPs held frequent meetings to assess the evolving situation. Simultaneously, a subgroup of HEDEP MPs, separated from the main gathering, staged a sit-in on Sunay Street, blocking the road and chanting slogans. 

Despite being encircled by police, the MPs participating in the sit-in eventually began a march along Sunay Street, progressing to Ekinciler Avenue in the Ofis district, concluding their protest at the HEDEP Provincial Building. 

In a symbolic act, women wearing white headscarves were among the encircled group. Once the remaining demonstrators reached the building in Koşuyolu Park, DBP Co-Chair Keskin Bayındır delivered a statement, limiting press coverage as party members entered the premises. (BA/TY/VK)