ANKARA - Reacting to the arrest of DTK Co-chair Leyla Güven, political party representatives said, ''We think this sentence is void. Leyla Güven is our will as a deputy, she is our comrade and our friend to fight together”.

 

Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-chair Leyla Güven was arrested on December 22, after being sentenced to 22 years and 3 months in prison for her trial about  DTK activities. The reaction to Leyla's arrest continues. Political party co-chairs and chairs drew attention to the message to be sent by the arrest of Leyla Güven.

 

‘The punishment given to Leyla is a punishment for the Kurdish freedom movement’

 

Underlining that the punishment given to Leyla Güven should not be handled in one dimension, Elif Torun Öneren, President of the Revolutionary Party, said, ''First dimension; the punishment given to Leyla Güven is a punishment for all subjects of the Kurdish freedom movement. When we look at the last year of the HDP, thousands of members, friends,  and even former MYK members, managers, almost all of them have been imprisoned in the last 5-6 months... The second dimension; when we evaluate the Kurdish freedom movement, there are women who have become subjects. Almost all of these women are currently facing a policy of imprisonment. Comrade Leyla is one of the hundreds of women who are the subjects of the women's struggle.  The government sees the Kurdish freedom movement as a dynamic against fascism. Kurdish freedom movement creates an area of struggle that Kurdish women open against the misogynistic policies of the state, and of the AKP and MHP fascist government in the region."

 

"As women, we are the Kurdish people, we are Leyla Güven"

 

In the women's liberation movement in Turkey,  Kurdish women and socialist women are in solidarity for common struggle. Expressing that Leyla Güven stands in an important position in this struggle, Elif continued her words as follows: “They want to imprison Leyla Güven with a clear attitude in order to silence women about the policies made to other Kurdish women. Now, when we look at the geography of Kurdistan, there are law enforcement officers that are abusers and rapists. When we look at the file against Leyla Güven, there is no valid claim. A contentless indictment was created. It is reflected as a part of the troubles I have  explained. Leyla was arrested. As women, we are the Kurdish people, we are Leyla Güven''

 

‘We think the punishment given to Leyla Güven is void.’

 

Socialist Reestablishment Party (SYKP) Co-Chair Canan Yüce emphasized that Leyla Güven's punishment was null and void for them, and said: “The AKP and MHP fascist bloc has launched a political genocide move with the stick of law to eliminate the first democratic opposition. Many of our friends were sentenced with baseless accusations. None of these efforts have helped to prevent the struggle. We know that this punishment is given to the Kurdish freedom struggle, the struggle for peace, the struggle for democracy and the women's freedom struggle. We think the punishment given to Leyla Güven is void. Leyla Güven is also our will as a deputy. She is our comrade and friend in struggle. We have seen the same thing in the past too. She resisted in many areas. She gave hope and light to many people. "

 

‘It is necessary to defend the right of politics' freedom’

 

Socialist Workers Party (SEP) Chair Güneş Gümüş said that with the punishment given to Leyla, the voice of women politicians was wanted to be muted. Güneş said, "This attitude did not start with Leyla Güven. Party's co-chairs, parliamentarians, unions' executives, associations' executives and many workers in the field have been arrested. The government wants to mute the political representatives of the Kurdish people and prevent their struggle on the field. This is not acceptable, and they are very hypocritical about it. Before the election, Leyla Güven's demands were fulfilled and she was released on parole while she was on hunger strike. When they made their election calculations, they left Leyla Güven, now she is arrested. It is important to resist these oppressions against the Kurdish people and to defend the right of political representatives of the Kurdish people. It is necessary to defend the right of politics' freedom”.

 

"They try to prevent people who are strong on the field"

 

Pointing out that the government continues its attacks on the Kurdish national struggle with a clear attitude, Güneş said, “The government did not support a democratic solution about the Kurdish problem. They were not in a position of peace and solution in the Kurdish  problem. In order to ensure their power, this was already part of the plan, but the ruling is stuck with its junior partner MHP. In the election polls, it seems that HDP will pass the election. The Kurdish national movement and its supporters continue in politics. They cannot accept it and break it. They are angry. So they try to prevent people who are strong on the field.''