Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have repeatedly stated my serious concerns about the deteriorating situation in Turkey, including its impact on the lives of the Kurdish population. The increasing tensions in the south east of the country are deeply troubling and I am also gravely concerned at the mounting threat to civil society by breaches of human rights and democratic norms. On 4 November, I issued a statement in which I explicitly expressed my concern at the arrest of the co-chairs and other democratically elected members of the pro-Kurdish HDP party in the early hours of 4 November. The arrest of these parliamentarians was made possible by the lifting of parliamentary immunity from some 130 members of the Turkish Assembly in May of this year. Ireland shares the view of the EU that parliamentary immunity must be applied equally to all members of the Turkish parliament.

I am aware of the specific case to which the Deputy refers. Officials of my Department met with members of the HDP last week and I know that several members of the House also met with the delegation. The HDP representatives presented a very stark case, in particular on the circumstances surrounding the detention of democratically elected representatives from Kurdish areas and the restrictions on the Kurdish media as well as the deteriorating security situation in the south east of Turkey in particular. They also detailed the circumstances of the individual in question and highlighted his concerns about the very negative trends that we are seeing in Turkey.

I have repeatedly called for a return to dialogue to allow the political process to resolve the Kurdish issue to resume. In a strong statement issued on 8 November, the EU was critical of Turkey’s recent actions and the direction of recent developments and called again on Turkey to resume political dialogue to resolve the Kurdish situation.

See this speech in context