EFA calls on the Government of Turkey to suspend its anti-Kurdish policies and to not use the COVID-19 pandemic to further repress Kurdish democratic institutions, including their municipalities.

This does not only undermine local democracy and the political will of Kurdish people, but also destroys the already weak social and healthcare infrastructure, making them even more vulnerable to the pandemic.On 15 May, on the occasion of the Kurdish Language Holiday Day, the Kurdish municipalities of Siirt, Iğdır, Kurtalan, Baykan, and Altınova were seized. Since the local elections held on 31 March 2019, as a result of which HDP won a total of 65 municipalities, there have so far been 45 HDP-run municipalities trusteed by the Turkish government.Additionally, Kurdish mayors continue suffering repression, imprisonment and the denial of their political and fundamental rights as democratically elected representatives by the Kurdish people under the charge of ‘supporting terrorism’. EFA supports the HDP party and joins its call on the international community to raise the voice of Kurdish people and to take action against the ‘trustee-regime’ policies and measures by the Turkish government. Read full statement from HDP Foreign Affairs Commission The post EFA calls on Turkey to stop repressing Kurdish democratic municipalities appeared first on EFA - European Free Alliance.