Deputy Co-Chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration on conviction of monk Aho Bileçen: “With these practices, Turkey undermines all cultural and democratic values ​​within the country”

ZALIN, Syria — After the conviction of Syriac Orthodox monk Sefer (Aho) Bileçen of the Mor Yahqup d-Qarne Monastery in Tur Abdin by a Turkish court on terrorism charges, Deputy Co-Chair of the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) of North and East Syria Badran Jia Kurd stated to SuroyoTV that Turkey’s hostile internal policies towards other cultures, beliefs, and freedoms is serious concern.

“With these practices, Turkey undermines all cultural and democratic values ​​within the country,” said Kurd.

He pointed out that Turkey arrests people under the pretext of being associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partîya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK). “All these excuses are a cover to fight all cultures, freedoms, and peoples within Turkey, and this stems from the dominating Turkish regime mentality that wants to end all forms of political, social, and internal opposition,” he continued.

He also stressed that the Turkish government continues to arrest political opponents for supposed involvement with the 2016 coup attempt, opposition to President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), or links with other political organizations in order to consolidate the government’s increasingly authoritarian grip on power.

Turkey’s domestic policies have already begun to draw the negative attention of the internal community, said Kurd. It is now being judged externally, because day after day it is deviating from the values of freedom and democracy.