Free for everyone, banned for HDP: Humanitarian aids sent to the earthquake victims are confiscated  

2020-02-02 11:31:06


	ELAZIĞ – The busses carrying the aid packages sent by one of the party executives of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) from the Bodrum district of Aegean city Muğla were stopped in the entrance of Elazığ city and the aid packages were confiscated by the police. In the Elazığ city, there is an order from the ministry that “The aids shall be distributed via The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD)”, but only HDP is banned to reach aid to the earthquake-victims.

	 

	In the earthquake of magnitude 6,8 centered in Elazığ, 41 citizens had lost their lives and the ones survived still are in urgent need for basic accommodation and food. After the order of Ministry of Interior Affairs that “The aids shall be distributed via The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD)”, the aid trucks carrying food, diapers, heaters and blankets sent by Ergani Municipality ruled by HDP, was prevented to enter the earthquake zone.

	The aids sent by the municipalities ruled by AKP (Justice and Development Party) and MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) was being distributed by the party members and after these incidents the aids of the municipalities ruled by CHP (Republican People’s Party) also started to be distributed by CHP’s Elazığ executive. The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) teams in the region also works in close contact with the party executive of AKP. Various civil society institutions, religious cults and communions also observed to be conducting aid campaigns by their own names. However, HDP is the only one to be banned by the order of Ministry of Interior Affairs. 

	 

	THE PACKAGES FULL OF DIAPERS AND AID FOR WOMEN’S NEEDS ARE CONFISCATED

	 

	The police prevent the aid campaign conducted by HDP in order to reach the urgent needs of earthquake victims. Blankets sent to Diyarbakır for the earthquake victims were not taken to the city by the police obstacle. The aids received by HDP city organization from the various cities of Turkey sent by the people who want to raise solidarity with the earthquake victims are also banned.  Finally, the aid packages full of diapers and women’s needs sent from Muğla were confiscated by the police vefore entering the city, by the reason that they carry the name of HDP executives as sender.

	 

	‘AIDS MUST BE DIRECTLY DISTRIBUTED TO THE VICTIMS’

	 

	HDP Elazığ Co-Chair Baki Yıldırım told that the urgent humanitarian needs of earthquake victims in Elazığ are bigger than the small political accounts of the political power. Stating that there are serious problems on distributing the humanitarian aids to the victims, Yıldırım said they are trying their best to supply the demands of the victims inspite of all the obstacles created for their party.  

	Yıldırım calls out for the people that in case of their availability, it would be efficient to directly come to the Elazığ city and distribute the humanitarian aids for the earthquake victims, in order to overcome the arbitrary banns and obstacles. 

	 

	MA/ Lezgin Akdeniz