Akşener says sexual threats against former HDP co-chair's wife caused by gov't indifference

Good Party (İYİ Parti) leader Meral Akşener said that the sexual harassment of Başak Demirtaş on social media, wife of former co-chair of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was caused by the government's indifference toward such crimes. Noting that crimes of such nature wouldn't stop until the government took a clear stance against it, Akşener urged President Erdoğan to take action.

Wednesday June 17 2020 02:10 pm

Duvar English

Opposition Good Party (İYİ Parti) leader Meral Akşener said that the "perverse" sexual threats to Başak Demirtaş, wife of former co-chair of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), were the result of the government's indifference toward such crimes.

Speaking at her party's group meeting on July 17, the party leader said that she has also been the target of such attacks herself and called upon President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to take action against it.

"This corruption will continue until the people who govern over us take a clear stance against it. So I'm calling the government, and especially President Erdoğan to make their point of view known."

Akşener said that the sexual threats women face in Turkey are the result of a "corrupted mindset that praises women's chastity when convenient, but allows all attacks on them."

"Enough is enough! Get your despicable words and filthy hands off of women. Stop making the female body a tool for politics."

Akşener noted that the attacks on Demirtaş, jailed former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş's wife, had been orchestrated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"President Erdoğan, nobody is afraid of your trolls anymore. And nobody believes your son-in-law's fairy tales," Akşener said, referring to Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak.

The Good Party leader's comments came days after the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) released labor data that showed a rise in both employment and unemployment in comparison to the previous year.

"Your trolls are just online but the teachers who are waiting assignments are real and so are the millions of unemployed young people," Akşener said.

The party leader also noted that the narrative about a possible coup attempt in Turkey was also the government's efforts to diverge people's attention away from the real problems the country is facing.

"The 200,000 citizens who went unemployed in the last year know the truth. The painting that your online trolls drew is fading away."

Topics sexual abuse HDP Selahattin Demirtaş Women's rights good party Violence against women Violence against women in Turkey women Başak Demirtaş Meral Akşener sexual assault threats