Turkey slams French letter on HDP lawmakers' arrest

ANKARA

Turkey Friday criticized an open letter by French lawmakers voicing “alarm” over the recent arrests of deputies from Turkey's opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

"The letter, including remarks about the measures taken during the [post-coup attempt] state of emergency in our country, does nothing but encourage terrorist organizations," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu.

French daily Liberation this Tuesday published an open letter by French deputies and senators expressing their support and "solidarity with the elected Kurdish deputies prosecuted, arrested, detained in Turkey," and calling for their release.

“When Turkey faced a military coup [on July 15], we all strongly denounced and condemned this attempt against the expression of popular sovereignty… But today we are extremely concerned and alarmed by the recent arrests under the state of emergency decreed on July 20," said the letter.

But Muftuoglu said that as a charter member of the Council of Europe, the measures Turkey has taken since the defeated coup live up to its international obligations as well as fundamental rights and liberties and the principles of the rule of law.

He said: "We would expect the deputies, senators, and academics who signed this letter to express solidarity with the Turkish people who have been subject to terror attacks for many years, including the deadliest of all on July 15, and also with our country which has contributed so much to the ongoing international fight against terrorism."

Earlier this month, 13 HDP lawmakers were arrested after they failed to answer summons linked to a counter-terrorism investigation.

Ten of them, including party Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, remain in custody awaiting trial for terrorism-related offenses. Turkish authorities have repeatedly said there is nothing unconstitutional or unlawful in their arrests, adding that the lawmakers are going through normal legal procedures.

The defeated July 15 coup in Turkey, blamed on the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), left 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

*Reporting by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet and Hajer Mitri; Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan