Germany summons Turkish envoy to protest arrest of pro-Kurdish MPs

Germany has summoned Turkey’s envoy in Berlin to protest the arrest of about a dozen pro-Kurdish lawmakers, amid domestic and international pressure against Ankara over its harsh crackdown.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned the Turkish government on Friday against using the fight against terrorism as a pretext to silence the opposition.

"The fight against terrorism must not be a justification for politically silencing the opposition, or even bringing them behind bars," Steinmeier said.

He also stated that Ankara’s unjustified crackdown could have a detrimental impact on Turkey’s relations with the European Union.

"I think now it is up to the ones responsible in Turkey to be clear about what direction it wants to go and what this will mean for relations of Turkey with the EU," he said.

The remarks came after Turkish police arrested Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, the co-leaders of the Peoples' Democratic Party, also known as the HDP, and nine lawmakers of the party earlier on Friday.

Ankara has accused the HDP lawmakers of spreading terrorism propaganda in support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even gone further and repeatedly described the HDP as the political wing of the PKK.

In reaction to the recent arrests, the PKK threatened to intensify its attacks in Turkey. Murat Karayilan, one of the PKK’s senior commanders, said in a video message on Friday that it was "very important" for the Kurdish people to react against the detentions of the HDP lawmakers.

The Turkish government continues its crackdown on pro-Kurdish elements and individuals suspected of involvement in the July 15 coup attempt.

In the capital Ankara, police clashed with demonstrators protesting against the detention of the HDP lawmakers.

The police used pepper spray and rubber pellets to disperse the demonstrators.

There was tight security in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, where pro-Kurdish demonstrators had gathered.

The pro-Kurdish protests are being held in defiance of a state of emergency in the country that bans demonstrations.

Ravina Shamdasani, the spokeswoman for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Friday, "We are concerned that, while they have declared a state of emergency and they have declared derogation of certain principles of the ICCPR, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that the steps that the authorities are taking go beyond what is permissible, in these cases." 

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also said she was "extremely worried" about the recent crackdown in Turkey. She has called a meeting of the ambassadors of the European Union member countries in Ankara to review the situation.

Kati Piri, the European Parliament's rapporteur for Turkey, has criticized Ankara’s crackdown, calling it a “very bad news from Turkey.”

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