Turkey’s opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) is planning to organise “resistance watches” in several provinces across the country until the anniversary of its lawmakers’ arrests, starting from July 25. HDP announced that parliamentary group meetings will be held in several provinces and the deputies will be on duty all day for the "resistance watches" week long.
HDP’s "resistance watches" calendar will begin by the group meeting of the party in southeastern province Diyarbakır on July 25, 2017.
After the group meeting, a certain number of the deputies will keep "resistance watches" all day long. Following this demonstration in Diyarbakır, which will be staged with such slogans "no to isolation!", "freedom to democratic politics", and "justice for all", the resistance watches will be held in İstanbul, eastern province Van and western province İzmir in the same way.
It was informed that HDP will continue its "resistance watches" until November 4. The first political arrestment operations against HDP’s co-chairs and deputies had launched on November 4, 2016, and they have been carried out until today.
Stating that HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş and the deputies have been held in pledge for 163 days, HDP Spokesman Osman Baydemir said, "We will keep watch on the streets for the conscience, democracy, equality, freedom, justice and dignified peace… We will manifest a resistance of conscience and justice without any instrument of violence".
HDP representatives had joined the "justice rally" held by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in İstanbul’s Maltepe district of the rally on July 9, 2017.
