European Parliament condemns Turkish political crackdown; Iraqi Parliamentary Committee sends report on Turkish crimes against civilians in northern Iraq to Prime Minister Kadhimi

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament adopted a decision formally condemning the Turkish government’s continued crackdown on human rights activists, intellectuals, and opposition parties, especially the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP).

The decision highlights some of the estimated 4,000 members of the HDP still in prison and condemns the attempt to close the HDP. Banning the HDP would be a significant political mistake, argued the European Parliament.

In related news, member of the Iraqi Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee Badr al-Ziyadi confirmed that the committee concerned with investigating the violations of the Turkish military in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has issued a report on crimes committed against civilians.

“The report will be sent to [Iraqi] Prime Minister [Mustafa] al-Kadhimi,” he added, calling on human rights organizations and centers to shed light on those crimes.