Greetings and solidarity from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), from our jailed former leaders and deputies alongside thousands of party activists, and our exiles in Europe and elsewhere, one of whom — former MP İbrahim Ayhan — we recently lost after a heart attack in Hewler, Iraqi Kurdistan where he could not receive timely and adequate medical care.

In spite of all the losses, the difficulties, the setbacks, and the mounting tyranny in Turkey, one-man rule has failed to subjugate the country’s social and democratic forces. After three years of emergency rule the HDP has managed to protect its popular support in Kurdistan and extend its bases in Turkey’s industrial and commercial hubs including Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Adana, Mersin, and Antalya, winning 11.4 percent of the vote in June’s general election.

We are keeping up the fight, continuing our resistance, and also restructuring for further struggles. We stand as a solid example of the viability of a joint social and political movement bringing together diverse trends of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples. It represents a significant base for the fight for democracy and social change. We are here to offer our solidarity with your struggles and learn from your particular experiences of fighting against our common adversaries.