Parliamentarian Prezioso strongly urges Switzerland to take action for Kurds

Left-wing parliamentarian Stéfanie Prezioso asked the Swiss Parliament “What is the Federal Council doing to respect human rights in Turkey?”

Reminding the decision taken by the Geneva Council with a large 51 votes to 36 on 30 April to intervene diplomatically to urge Turkey to respect the democratic rights of the Kurdish people, Prezioso said: “First of all, we would like to know whether the Federal Council responded positively to this invitation from the Geneva authorities.”

Prezioso asked whether the government had taken the following initiatives with the Turkish state:

“- For the release of political detainees, who, despite being duly represented in the Ankara parliament, are detained for crimes of thought or because they are members of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP);

– In particular, for the release of HDP elected officials so that they can fulfil the duties assigned to them by the voters;

– To protect the rights of defense of the persons accused of political “crimes”, in particular Kurdish elected officials and activists who are arbitrarily accused by the Turkish authorities;

– To respect international humanitarian conventions against torture and other cruel or degrading treatment of detainees, particularly Kurdish prisoners and women among them.”

Stating that they learned about the death of 28-year-old Kurdish woman Garibe Gezer in Kandıra prison a short time ago, after she reacted to torture, Prezioso continued: “We also know that former Kurdish MP Aysel Tuğluk, is kept in prison despite suffering from a serious illness and has not received the necessary treatment. This worries us, as we fear for her life. In fact, dozens of seriously ill prisoners die every year because they are not treated or released, and prisons have turned into death houses. Recently, prisoners Halil Güneş and Abdülrezzak Şuyur, who did not receive treatment, died of cancer.

Therefore, we ask the Federal Council to intervene strongly with the Turkish authorities to ensure the final guarantee of the human rights of the Kurdish people, their activists and their elected representatives.”