The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D) called on Turkey to stop the crackdown on the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in a statement on Thursday.

After the Court of Cassation Chief Prosecutor Bekir Şahin submitted his final case to the Constitutional Court (AYM) to shut down HDP on Tuesday, Nacho Sánchez Amor, S&D MEP and European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, defined the closure case against HDP as “the latest attempt to silence HDP” before Turkey’s forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, scheduled for June 2023 but expected earlier.

The MEP said that the case was not only unlawful, but also a political mistake, explaining, “If the HDP is ordered to close, no international independent observer delegation will be able to come to Turkey and say that the elections were fair. This would also move Turkey further away from the EU and further down its current authoritarian trend.”

Greece’s Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance (SYRIZA) also condemned the Turkish authorities for targeting the third-largest party in the Turkish National Assembly with a closure case in the middle of the election season.

“It is inconceivable that a country belonging to the Council of Europe should place restrictions on the democratic functioning of parties,” SYRIZA said on Wednesday, regarding the ongoing closure case of the HDP.

Turkey’s Constitutional Court (AYM) in June 2021 accepted an indictment that demanded the HDP be shut down as well as a political ban for 451 of its members, including mayors and MPs, over alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey considers to be a terrorist organisation.

AYM ruled on 5 January to temporarily block HDP’s access to Treasury funds as part of the closure case, under the request of the chief prosecutor. HDP will not be able to access the 4.5 billion lira ($240 million) Treasury support it was allocated for 2023.