Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Since the abandonment of the Kurdish-Turkish peace initiative in 2015, Turkey has intensified its military war and political repression of the Kurds. The suppression of political parties and the jailing of Kurdish political leaders has become the norm as Turkish democracy has descended into authoritarian rule.

There are now an estimated 260,000 political prisoners in Turkey. Human rights organisations are reporting that human rights violations against prisoners are on the increase. The Government needs to raise its voice against gross human rights violations. The Turkish Government must stop the torture of prisoners, respect freedom of speech, uphold the rule of law and respect the role of democratically elected representatives. It should also respect its own laws and release the MP, Leyla Güven, and embrace an opportunity to advance the peace process.

Does the Minister of State agree that the only long-term solution to the Kurdish issue is through peaceful and democratic dialogue, not isolation and imprisonment? In any country where parliamentary democracy functions properly, Members of Parliament and leaders of political parties are not put in prison for their political beliefs. Yet that is the day-to-day reality in Turkey and there is now the real possibility that an MP might die on hunger strike. I again urge the Minister of State to urgently raise Leyla Güven’s case with the Turkish Government and join the international acts to save her life.

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