Turkish governor’s office defends police violence against HDP MP: ‘Proportional force’

Duvar English

The governor’s office of the southeastern province of Hakkari has defended the police violence against Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Habip Eksik who got his leg broken during a demonstration on Oct. 9.

The governor’s office argued that the breaking of the leg of Eksik was “proportional force” and claimed that the deputy “tried to create a perception by throwing himself on the ground.”

On Oct. 9, the HDP and some associations held a march in various provinces against the isolation imposed on jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan. The demonstration came on the 24th anniversary of Öcalan’s expulsion from Syria.

Demonstrators faced a harsh police violence, with several detentions occurring and with Eksik getting his leg broken.

The Hakkari governor’s office later released a statement, accusing Eksik of throwing himself on the ground “to create the perception that the police used excessive power.”

Deeming the demonstration “illegal,” the governor’s office said: “The deputies within the group (protesting) have thrown themselves on the ground in order to create the perception that they were beaten by our officials (referring to police) and that excessive power has been used. They (deputies) have later released images of injury on social media.”