Pro-Kurdish HDP party denounces Turkey’s arrest of its leadersNovember 5, 2016 - 11:33 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The pro-Kurdish HDP party in Turkey has denounced the arrest of its leaders as an attempt by the government to eradicate democracy, BBC News reports. The HDP said the arrests were a dark day for the country, as its supporters took to the streets in protest. HDP joint leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag are accused of spreading propaganda for militants fighting the Turkish state. They and 10 other HDP activists deny links to the PKK Kurdish rebel group. All were arrested for refusing to answer prosecutors' questions. Demirtas has won international support with his liberal politics, but critics say he has failed to distance the party sufficiently from the PKK. Hours after the arrest, a huge car bomb killed eight people and wounded more than 100 in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir. Turkish authorities blamed the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), but the group known as Islamic State later claimed the attack through its Amaq news agency. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |