Sinn Féin’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Seán Crowe TD, has challenged the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, to urgently raise the case if HDP MP, Faysal Sariyildiz, who has had his passport revoked by the Turkish Government

Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Seán Crowe TD said:

“Last week I was due to meet with the HDP MP, Faysal Sariyildiz, but he is currently stranded in Brussels because his passport was revoked by the Turkish authorities.

“The HDP is the third largest party in the Turkish Parliament and they have been targeted by the Turkish Government due to their success, and their progressive and left wing policies.

“Faysal was carrying out important legal and diplomatic work for the HDP and has been travelling to European capitals detailing the mass killing of Kurdish civilians by the Turkish military in his home city of Cizre. The cancelling of his passport would appear to be a crude attempt to silence that work.

“The Turkish security forces sealed off the Kurdish majority city of Cizre and implemented a siege from December 2015 to February 2016. The city had limited access to water and food and many of the injured were prohibited to receive professional medical treatment.

“According to independent news reports, the level of damage to the city was comparable to the brutal siege of Kobani by Da’esh.

“In April 2016, the Turkish Human Rights Association watchdog submitted a report to the United Nations detailing the mass killing of over 120 Kurdish civilians in Cizre.  Faysal was a witness to the mass killing of civilians and the gross violations of human rights.

“I called for the Minister for Foreign Affairs to raise Faysal’s case directly with the Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs.

“The Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs must call in the Turkish Ambassador to explain Ireland’s complete condemnation of the imprisoned of 11 HDP MPs and the two HDP Co-Chairs.”

ENDS