The four were summoned by local security forces (Asayish), Hikmet Hatib said during a press conference in Sulaimani’s Azadi Park.
“Later, around 28 soldiers took us to the Erbil border [the provincial border with Sulaimani], dropping off some of us near Smaqoli and the rest in Degala,” he said, referring to two highways connecting Erbil and Sulaimani.
“They said, ‘Go, you have no work to do in Erbil.’ I asked about the reason but they did not provide any,” he added.
HDP was once Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party. It is, however, facing the threat of closure because of alleged ties with Kurdish rebels and has rebranded itself as Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party).
Hatib said that before they were expelled, they had no issues with the local authorities and have had talks with several officials from the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
He said a delegation from the DEM Party is expected to visit Erbil soon to resolve the issue.
“We do not intend to and will not cause any problems for Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistan Regional Government. We just want to know why we were dismissed and we want to return to Erbil,” he said.
The Asayish have yet to comment on the incident.
