The People's Party of Work (HEP) 

In 1989, many Kurdish MPs were expulsed from the Social Democratic Party (SHP) after their participation to an International Conference about the Kurdish Question in Paris. These MPs gathered with many Kurds and Turks and founded on 7^th June 1990 the People's Party of Work (HEP). For the national elections on 20^th October 1991, this party formed an alliance with the Social Democratic Party and obtained 22 sieges in the Turkish Parliament.

After she had taken an oath in Turkish at the National Assembly, according to the rules, Leyla Zana, MP of de Diyarbakir, added in Kurdish : "I took this oath for the brotherhood of the Turkish and Kurdish people". As reprisal for it, the Kurdish MPs were violently attacked. The Provincial Chairman of the HEP in Diyarbakir, Vedat Aydin was rapted in his home and was tortured to the death. This first murdering with "unknown author" moved people greatly. When more than hundred thousands persons were present at the funerals, the helicopters and the tanks of the "Special Forces" of the Turkish army attacked the cortege. Tens of persons were killed, some hundred wounded. Many journalists and MPs were amongst the victims.

On 21 March 1992, when Kurds celebrated their New Year (Newroz), police and army attacked the Kurdish towns of Sirnak, Cizre and Nusaybin and shot many persons because they wore the colours of the Kurdish flag (green, yellow, red). In Nusaybin, 20 persons were obliged to sit down on a bridge and were crushed by tanks.

For protesting against these acts, on 1^st April 1992, 18 Kurdish MPs left the Social Democrat Party and joined the HEP. It was the first acts of much arrests, tortures and murderings at the time when Turkey prosecuted the HEP, for obtainig its dissolution. And dissolution happened on 14^th July 1993. In the same time, 57 leaders and members of the party were murdered.

The closing of the HEP did not undermine the determination of Kurds. The trial of its dissolution did not even ended that a new party, the OZDEP, had been created. But its programme proposed a federalist issue to the Kurdish problem and it was forbidden on 23th Octobre 1993.

The Party of Democracy (DEP) was founded by deputies of the HEP Party on 7^th May 1993. At that time, the first unilateral ceasefire stated by the PKK (The Workers Party of Kurdistan), that fighted the Turkish state was ever into effect. But this ceasefire did not stop repression.

After many murders perpetrated in the Kurdish town of Batman, a delegation of the DEP came to that place, on 4^th September 1993, for investigation. The delegation of deputies and leaders of the Party – amongst them there was the Vice-Chairman, Nesimi Kilic, arrived to the airport of Diyarbakir and they were immediately under police supervision. Then, during their investigation, the delegates were shot publicly. The deputy of Mardin, Mehmet Sincar, a member of the provincial section in Batman, Metin Özdemir were killed, and the deputy of Batman, Nizamettin Toguc, was injured.

The Central Office of the DEP met urgently and decided to bring the murdered MP's body to the siege of the Party, for a ceremony, before to burry him in Kiziltepe, his birthplace. But police took the body and prevented by force this hommage. When the DEP leaders came to the home's victim, they were attacked in the night by fires and grenades. Six women and two children were injured.

Then in all the country there was a strong repression became more intensive. The Chairman of the Party, Yasar Kaya, was arrested on 16^th September 1994 and imprisonned. The General Secretary, Murat Bozlak, was attacked at his home, in the center of Ankara and survived by a miracle. The Party prepared the municipal election of 1994, but when candidates were designated, they were immediately arrested, threatened or tortured. The siege of the Party was destroy with plastic explosive. One persone died and seventeen were injured. In view of the severity of these attackes the DEP renounces finally to stand at the elections.

After that, a proceeding of interdiction and dissolution had been instituted against the Party. The immunity of eight Kurdish MPs was lift on 2^nd March 1994. Four deputies, Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Saddak were condemned to fifteen years. Six deputies had to leave the country. At the end the DEP was closed on 16^th June 1994. 24 of its leaders and members had been killed.

The HADEP was founded on 11^th May 1994 and started its political action with an open debate about the Kurdish question. On 2^nd June 1994, one of its foundators, Muhsim Melik, was murdered in Urfa. At this time, no Kurdish sieged still in Parliament and they have been all dismissed from their municipal charges. In view of this state of tension, by-elections were decided and law was changed for allowing the participation of the HADEP. But the Party estimated that new elections could not change the situation and decided to boycott them. By this way, they had been annulated.

The HADEP entered into relations with other parties, syndicates and associations, for restablishing peace and get to accept the ceasefire of the PKK.

But arrests did not stop. Two leaders had been arrested int the Ankara airport, the Vice-Chairman and the Vice-General Secretary at the siege of the HADEP, the representative of the Ankara section at his home. After nine days in custody and severe tortures, they were judged and imprisonned.

On 25^th April 1995, three men attempted to rapt the Vice Chairman of the HADEP when he left his home for going to his office. Shopkeepers prevented the rapt and these men were arrested by a policeman : they were policemen, too. After this scandal the leaders of the HADEP were discharged and released.

The policy of the government came to a deadlock. For that reason, there were advanced elections on 24^th December 1995. The campaign of the HADEP denounced the pressures against it and asked some observers that could constate the repression. In spite of these pressures, the coalition composed by the HADEP and the DDP, the SBP (Socialist Unified Party) and the SIP (Socialist Power Party) carried off the elections in themajority of the Kurdish townswith a score of 60 % in certain Kurdish provinces and 4,3 % for all the country. But 10 % of votes is necessary for obtaining a siege in Parliament.

But the HADEP did not stop its political action. On 23rd June 1996, its second general meeting gathered more than 30.000 people. Then unidentified men, in presence of hunred of policemen, get down the Turkish flag in spite the strong opposition of the Chairman Murat Bozlak and the Congress Council. In consequence, M. Bozlak and 49 leaders were arrested and tens of persons that wanted to prevent these arrests were injured.

A short time after, the provincial delegation of Maras was attacked. Two persons died and one was seriously injured. In Izmir, Hatay and Iskenderun, the offices of the party were destroyed with plastic explosives or were attacked. A campaign against the HADEP was organized with the slogan "Respect the flag". 39 leaders were finally indicted on 4th July 1996. But the authors of the incident were never identitifed in spite of the numerous policemen who were at the congress.

During the last years, a tens of political parties were forbid because of their positions about the Kurdish question. Nowadays, the pro-Kurdish parties that propose a democratic issue to the Kuridsh Question are victims of a severe repression and at every moment to be closed.

Political parties are not the only victims of interdiction and attacks : there are too the Human's Rights associations, cultural foundations, newspapers and intellectuals. Then mora than 3.500 politicians, Human's Right activists, journalists and Kurdish personnalities have been killed. Akin Birdal, the Human's Rights Association's Chairman was seriously wounded in 1998 by the "Death squadrons". The authors of this attack, arrested because of an international reaction, are members of the security services of state.

In April 1999, the HADEP could hardly make its campaign, as such the pressure of policy was strong. Every meeting was forbid and the boycott of media was enforced by the closure of the Kurdish Channel MED-TV, which is the only way for Kurds to express themselves. Though estimations valued that the HADEP could reach about 70% in the Kurdish regions, it did not obtain the necessary 10 % for a siege in Parliament because of an important fraud in the towns and the village under the law of emergency and the terror against electors for preventing them to vote for the HADEP. However 37 mayors have been elected.

The Öcalan's Case was hardly endured by the Kurdish politicians. There was a violent press campaign against them and they were cruelly isolated amongst the Turkish politician class. The Turkish left-parties, which supported them before, withdrew themselves from their political alliance before the elections, fearing pressures. For the feast of Newroz (Spring) 1999, some thousands of people were arrested. In July, after the "revelations" of a PKK member, rapted in Europa, the Provincial Chairman of Istanbul with eleven members of the HADEP were put in custody during 24 hours.

The existence of the party is still uncertain : pursuits start in Janvier 1999 for its interdiction.

On 24th February 2000, Murat Bozlak (the last Chairman's HADEP), Ahmet Turan Demir (the HADEP's Chairman) and sixteen members had been condemned to 3 years and 9 months of prison for "support and harbouring" PKK. They appealed the judgement. The mayors of Diyarbakir, Siirt and Bingol were put in custody for "harbouring an illegal organisation" (PKK). Because of many international reactions, they could keep their charge but could be condemned to many years of prison.

The candidature of Turkey had been agreed in December 1999 in Helsinki by EU, but the Turkish state seems far from a real democratical step.

In spite of numerous arrestations that aimed to prevent the holding of the HADEP Congress, more than 30.000 persons assisted to the opening day in Ankara. Murat Bozlak has been elected as the leader of the party on the 26th November 2000.algré une vague d'arrestations destinée à entraver la tenue du congrès du HADEP, plus de 30.000 personnes ont participé à la journée d'ouverture à Ankara. Murat Bozlak a été élu pour reprendre la direction du parti le 26 novembre 2000.

Summary