After the failed coup this summer, president Erdogan has intensified the process towards a more authoritarian leadership in Turkey, constraining the opposition and limiting freedom of speech.

The recent arrests of HDP parliamentarians and other members of the party marks the culmination of an extremely worrisome development in Turkey where human rights are limited and violated on a daily basis.

We strongly condemn the arrests of HDP parliamentarians and other party members as well as trade unionists, judges and academics. We demand that they are released and that the Turkish government starts respecting fundamental human rights.

The EU must react to the oppression in Turkey and we call on the EU to cancel the accord on refuges with Turkey. We also call on the EU to freeze the Turkish negotiations for EU membership until democracy is restored.