Letter to David Miliband re: arrest of more than 80 members of the Turkey’s Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

The Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH

24 December 2009

Dear Foreign Secretary,

Mass Arrest of BDP Party Members, Turkey

We write to express our grave concern at the detention over the past 24 hours of more than 80 members of the Turkey’s Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). The detentions follow the banning on 11 December of Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party, the DTP (Democratic Society Party), and come at a critical moment in efforts by the Kurdish leadership to engage with  the Government of Turkey in a dialogue aimed at a peaceful resolution of  the Kurdish question. We urge you to protest the detentions and to use your good offices to press for those detained to be released. Read more