By Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA (AA) – Turkey's main opposition leader on Tuesday criticized recent moves to close down a political party accused of acting as a front for a terrorist group.
"The closure of political parties in democracies is improper," Kemal Kilicdaroglu told his Republican People's Party's (CHP) parliamentary group.
"Parties come by elections and go by elections. If a party doesn’t get public support, it goes into the dustbin of history."
Kilicdaroglu said closing political parties is contrary to the national will and democracy.
Turkey's top prosecutor last week filed an indictment seeking to shut down the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the terrorist group PKK and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union — has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
– Istanbul Convention
The CHP leader also criticized Turkey's decision to withdraw from Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women.
Kilicdaroglu asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan why he made the move.
"Taking a right away from women is bullying. We will never allow bullying in this state," he said.
Erdogan signed a decree last Friday night to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, which it had signed in 2011, the first country to do so.
The Turkish government has rejected criticisms saying that the decision to withdraw from the treaty "by no means denotes that Turkey compromises protection of women."
"The decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention by no means denotes that Turkiye [Turkey] 'compromises the protection of women.' The Turkish State has continuously stressed that the country will not give up on its fight against domestic violence by quitting the Convention," Turkey's Communications Directorate said Sunday.
The convention seeks to prevent violence against women, including domestic violence, and bring an end to legal impunity for perpetrators.
While the convention was enforced in 34 countries, including Turkey, some countries — Ukraine, the UK, Czechia, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Hungary, Armenia, and Bulgaria — signed the document but have yet to ratify.
