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EU expresses concern as Turkey's pro-Kurdish party leaders detained

Xinhua, November 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

The European Union (EU) is "gravely concerned" about the detention of ca-chairs and lawmakers of a pro-Kurdish party of Turkey, said EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Friday.

Co-leaders of People's Democratic Party(HDP), Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag and nine lawmakers of the party were detained early Friday by police as part of a "terrorism" investigation, according to reports.

"These developments add to the concerns we expressed after the immunity of more than 130 democratically elected Members of Parliament was lifted in May this year," said Mogherini in a statement.

"They compromise parliamentary democracy in Turkey and exacerbate the already very tense situation in the southeast of the country, for which there can only be a political solution," she added.

The EU expects Turkey to safeguard its parliamentary democracy, including "respect for human rights and the rule of law," according to Mogherini.

According to Anadolu News Agency, the detention were ordered because the politicians refused to testify for crimes linked to terrorist propaganda. Endit