European Parliament President Antonio Tajani took advantage of the Parliament's plenary session opening on Monday 15 January to criticise the removal of Turkish HDP parliamentarian Leyla Zana. Zana received the Sakharov Prize in 1995 for her fight for the rights of the Kurds.
She was removed from her work in Turkey's Grand National Assembly on 11 January.
On behalf of the European Parliament, Tajani spoke of his solidarity with Zana. "It is not acceptable in a democracy for a person who has been elected by the people to be illegally removed", he stated, to the applause of the hemi-cycle.
Tajani also reiterated his concern about the repeated violations of human rights in Turkey towards political opponents and civil society representatives – especially journalists and academics. He specifically mentioned Nuriye Gülmen, Semih Özakça, Osman Kavala, Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay, who are currently facing justice. "The European Parliament will continue to support them in their fight for freedom and justice", he stated. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)