HDP co-chair says Kobane case file drafted by Erdoğan and his son-in-law Berat Albayrak

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Pervin Buldan has said that the latest investigation file targeting party members over 2014 Kobane protests has been prepared upon the orders of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son-in-law Berat Albayrak, who is also the finance minister.

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“This operation file has been prepared at the [Presidential] Palace and this case's prosecutors are Erdoğan and his son-in-law. Erdoğan says, 'Our judiciary is demanding an account of Kobane protests.' What judiciary are you talking about? There is no such thing. Are you referring to the ones who release upon your ally's [Devlet Bahçeli] calls or arrest upon your calls?” Buldan said during a party parliamentary group meeting on Oct. 6.

“Mr. Erdoğan, we really would like to ask you from here. Those are not the judiciary members, those are your forces of operation. The real judiciary would be dependent on the rule of law, justice and truth, not on the [Presidential] Palaces and the rulerships,” she said.

The Turkish government’s latest crackdown on the HDP has led to the arrest of 17 party members over 2014 Kobane protests. The investigation is carried out by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman, who recently drew ire for visiting Erdoğan at the Presidential Palace after his wedding.

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The prosecutor's office accuses the HDP of igniting the unrest in tandem with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The charges stemmed from deadly riots that erupted in October of 2014 in Turkey's southeast when the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane on the Turkish border was besieged by ISIS.

Buldan questioned the timing of the Kobane investigation, saying the case is based on a “series of lies.” She said that the HDP did not in any way ignite the Kobane protests, but instead put so much effort for them to come to an end.

She said that a delegation consisting of HDP members spent 48 hours at the Interior Ministry during the time of the protests, trying to figure out how the protests could be stopped. “The then-Prime Minister, Interior Minister, Public Order and Security Undersecretary are the witnesses of this. After the incidents [protests] were stopped, representatives of the government had personally thanked our party,” she said.