Kurd Day
Kurd Day Team
90km walk to protest curfew in Kurdish town
CIZRE – Politicians and supporters of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) are facing continuous obstacles in the their protest march towards the town of Cizre.
The marchers are demanding an end to the week-long curfew that has been in place in Cizre since fighting between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Turkish security forces flared up.
On Wednesday the march was halted by Turkish soldiers with riot shields. HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş led a sit down protest, before declaring the march would continue through the mountains. Security forces once more blocked their path on Thursday.
Demirtaş is the subject of a court investigation after he accused President Erdoğan of deliberately inflaming nationalist tensions, leading to widespread attacks on HDP offices throughout the country.
Prosecutors are investigating Demirtaş for insulting the president and are seeking to have his parliamentary immunity revoked. He said on Wednesday that Turkey is “heading for civil war”.
The group, which includes 30 HDP MPs, was stopped near Idil, almost 30km from Cizre. MP Garo Paylan tweeted a photo of the halted protest.