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The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning the repression of the HDP and the opposition, stressing that this backsliding “reveals the dire human rights situation in Turkey and the continued erosion of democracy and the rule of law,” Bianet.org reported. 

With 603 votes against two, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have adopted a resolution titled "The repression of the opposition in Turkey, specifically the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)".

Drafted by the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Liberals, Greens and Left groups, the resolution has "condemned the repression of opposition political parties, particularly the HDP, and urged the government to ensure that all parties can freely and fully exercise their legitimate activities in accordance with the basic principles of a pluralist and democratic system."

Accordingly, the MEPs have emphasized that the related action "continues to undermine the ability of the political opposition to exercise their rights and fulfill their democratic roles," adding that they are "deeply concerned by this serious backsliding on the freedom of the opposition parties to function, which reveals the dire human rights situation in Turkey and the continued erosion of democracy and the rule of law."

MEPs also condemn the decision made by Turkish authorities to remove democratically elected mayors from office on the basis of questionable evidence and replace them with unelected trustees. They point to the political, legislative and administrative measures taken by the Turkish Government to paralyse municipalities run by the mayors of opposition parties in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.