Home / SIGN THE PETITION: For peace, democracy and human rights in Turkey – Stop the war!
Under the pretext of the “struggle against terrorism”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leads for several months a real project of terror and war in his country, especially in the Kurdish region of Turkey.
This outburst of violence against the Kurds and the peoples of Turkey can be defined as crime against humanity and has already made several hundreds victims including many children, and 200,000 displaced. And now, Selahattin Demirtas, co-president of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) which obtained 10% in the last elections, is directly threatened by the President Erdogan.
“Democracy, rule of law, human rights, respect for minorities and their protection” (Article 1 bis of the Lisbon Treaty) are no longer guaranteed in Turkey, where everyday progressive activists, journalists, women or men laws are attacked, murdered, and entire populations are terrorized. Bombings, political assassinations, arrests and imprisonments of elected officials and journalists, cities under curfew and siege, encircled by the army, killed civilians by sniper fire have become routine events in Turkey governed by AKP.
All the people, especially left and progressive forces opposing Erdogan are declared “terrorists”. Broadcast news regarding the AKP crimes are forbidden, publishers and reporters are in prison. People’s freedom of information has been destroyed.
In total impunity, Turkish President also attacked the leaders of European progressive organizations who support the HDP, such as Maite Mola, Vice president of the European left, brought to justice “for insulting the head of state” because of her participation in a demonstration denouncing corruption.
Despite these principles, in a moment the world is discovering ambiguous relationships between the force in power in Turkey and ISIS, the EU has chosen to reopen the accession process of Turkey to the EU and monetize up to 3 billion euros a retention policy on its territory (and in which conditions!) refugees and migrants fleeing the war in Iraq and Syria.
We, European citizens, men and women of peace and progress refuse indifference and hypocrisy of European leaders face to destruction policy and the state of terror organized by the Turkish President, his government and his Islamic-conservative party, AKP.
It is urgent that the EU and its Member States take active initiatives to protect the peoples of Turkey, especially in the Kurdish provinces, for the establishment of a negotiating process for the return to peace, democracy and human rights in Turkey.
For its success, it is essential that, building on past experience, the peace negotiations to be undertaken in a transparent and democratic way with regard to civil society and that they should be discussed in the national parliament, as proposed by HDP.
It is possible to put pressure on the Turkish authorities by:
We, European citizens, men and women of peace and progress require the EU to act for an immediate cease-fire in Turkey, the establishment of a national dialogue on respect for fundamental rights, freedom expression and democracy.
