Ayşe Acar Başaran (born 2 October 1985) is a lawyer and politician of the People's Democratic Party (HDP). She is a current Member of Parliament for the city of Batman in Turkey. She was appointed spokesperson for the HDP Women's Council at the 4th HDP Party Conference in February 2020.
Ayşe Acar Başaran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Grand National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 23 November 2015 | |
| Constituency | Batman (June 2015, Nov 2015), (2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 October 1985 Batman, Turkey, Turkey |
| Political party | Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) |
| Other political affiliations | BDP |
| Alma mater | Dokuz Eylül University |
Early life
editBaşaran was born in Batman on 2 October 1985, as the second of the four children of Abdurrahman Acar and Sultani Acar.[1] After completing school education in Batman, she graduated from Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law in 2010. Başaran worked as a lawyer for the Batman Bar Association for 4 years.[1] She is a member of the Free Women's Congress Association.[1]
Political career
editIn 2013 and 2014, the HDP's predecessor party, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) provincial executive appointed Başaran to its women's council. In the June 2015 Turkish general election, Başaran was elected as the HDP's Batman deputy to parliament.[2] She was re-elected in the November 2015 Turkish general election.[3]
In October 2018, Turkish police arrested many HDP members in the run up to local elections, including the co-chairs of the party in Batman, Nizamettin Toguc and Berivan Helen Isik on charges of supporting terrorism. Başaran accused the Turkish authorities of beating up her party colleagues and abusing the rule of law for political purposes.[4] In March 2019, Başaran stated that 713 party members had been arrested in the run up to local elections.[5]
In January 2020, Başaran criticised Turkish authorities in the aftermath of earthquakes which killed 39 people, saying "for the sake of [more] rent, the public's health and the right to life is ignored".[6]
In February 2020, Başaran was included in the new HDP Party Assembly at the 4th Party Congress in Ankara,[citation needed] but was not included in the Party's executive committee, having already served two terms. Instead she will take part in working groups, and was elected as chair of the party's Women's Council.[7][8] As the spokeswomen for the women's branch of the HDP, she criticized the withdrawal from the Istanbul convention which defends women's rights.[9]
Legal prosecution
editOn the 17 March 2021, the state prosecutor Bekir Şahin demanded for her and 686 other HDP politicians a five-year ban to a political activity together with a closure of the HDP due to organizational links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[10] In July 2021 a request for the lifting of her parliamentary immunity was brought forward in the Turkish parliament.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ayşe Acar Başaran Kimdir ? - Ayşe Acar Başaran Hayatı ve Biyografisi". www.haberler.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "Seçim Sonuçları 2015: Batman seçim sonuçları belli oldu!". www.sozcu.com.tr. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ "1 Kasım Batman Seçim Sonuçları Son Durum". www.sozcu.com.tr. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ "140 Kurdish party members arrested last week in Turkey: HDP". www.kurdistan24.net. Archived from the original on 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "Turkey arrests over 60 Kurdish politicians on eve of elections". www.kurdistan24.net. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "Why President Erdogan is wrong about Turkey's earthquake preparedness". The National. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "HDP 'Umut' diyecek". birgun.net (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "HDP Kadın Meclisi'nin yeni dönem sözcüsü Ayşe Acar Başaran". Gazete Karınca (in Turkish). 2020-03-01. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
- ^ "HDP MPs: İstanbul Convention is in effect!". Bianet. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Turkish prosecutor seeks political ban on 687 pro-Kurdish politicians". www.duvarenglish.com (in Turkish). 2021-03-18. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ^ "Summaries of proceedings against 20 MPs, including main opposition leader". 1 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-01.