Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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24. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) who is a member of the Turkish Parliament for the Peoples’ Democratic Party, HDP, who was due to visit Ireland on 14 November 2016 for three days; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that while the person was in Brussels carrying out diplomatic work for the HDP, his passport was revoked by the Turkish authorities and a warrant for his arrest issued in Turkey; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that 11 HDP MPs have already been imprisoned in Turkey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36558/16]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Last week, I met with a representative of the Peoples' Democratic Party, HDP, to discuss the political repression the party is facing in Turkey as well as the Turkish Government's severe violation of international human rights law. I had planned to meet with HDP MP Faysal Sarıyıldız but he is currently stranded in Brussels because his passport was revoked by the Turkish authorities. Is the Minister aware of the case and the arrests of the 11 MPs from Mr. Sarıyıldız's party?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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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.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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The HDP is the third largest party in the Turkish Parliament. I was to meet Mr. Faysal Sarıyıldız last week. He was travelling around different European capitals. I think he was to meet Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. He did not arrive because his passport was revoked. The worrying thing about this case is the fact that he was travelling around European capitals detailing the mass killings of Kurdish civilians by the Turkish military in his home city of Cizre. Revoking his passport seems to be a crude attempt to silence that work. The Turkish security forces sealed off Cizre and denied access to food and water and 120 people were killed. People compared it to KobanÌ after the attack by Daesh. What can the Irish Government do about this? I heard what the Minister said about what has been happening in Europe but what can we do as an independent country?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have repeatedly called for a return to dialogue to allow the political process to resume. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, also emphasised this issue during the extensive debate on Turkey which took place at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 14 November. I have also clearly stated Ireland’s position at the Foreign Affairs Council and the Council of Europe where I engaged directly with the Turkish Foreign Minister. The European Commission’s annual report on Turkey, which was published on 9 November, is critical of Turkey on the core issues of rule of law and fundamental rights, including minority rights. I share that concern. Ministers will discuss the report at the December meeting of the EU General Affairs Council.

The EU is currently considering how best to influence Turkey and to encourage a commitment to the return to democratic norms and respect for fundamental freedoms.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Faysal Sarıyıldız was a witness to the mass killing of citizens and gross human rights violations. He was travelling around telling people what was happening. I ask the Minister to raise the issue of the warrant for his arrest and the revoking of his passport with the Turkish foreign Minister. He is not the only one who has been put in this position. I referred to the 11 MPs. Will the Minister call for their release? These were people doing the work they were elected to do.

Another worrying development is that trustees of the AKP the governing party are being appointed to run the municipality and all powers are being transferred to them. In the wider community we are getting reports of a build-up of aggressive rhetoric against the Kurdish population representatives. I am concerned that the next step could be a civil war in Turkey if this repression continues. I ask the Minister to raise wherever he can the arrests of these parliamentarians and particularly the revoking of Faysal Sarıyıldız's passport.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I would be happy to raise the issue the Deputy mentioned. I am scheduled to meet the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. MuiŽnieks, tomorrow. I will discuss with him his views on the pathway forward in terms of commitments already made to Turkey as a member of the Council of Europe. I will continue to raise these issues at every opportunity, particularly since the attempted coup in Turkey in July. I would be pleased to keep the House fully informed of developments as they occur.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. The HDP is a victim of its own success in that having reached a certain threshold in the Turkish parliamentary system and its members have since been targeted. That is the reality. Turkey does not have a democracy; clearly it is a one-party state. Unfortunately the Kurds are at the front line of the attacks in that regard.