On August 19, the Turkish state moved to dismiss the elected mayors of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin in the country's largely Kurdish southeast.

All three mayors Ahmet Turk, Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan are from the opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP). As tensions escalate there are fears that a move to shut down the HDP is imminent. The situation is critical

This is a coup against democracy and the will of the people. Britain has been one of the biggest supporters of the Turkish state both politically and militarily. This has given President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the confidence to move against the HDP - a legal political party.

We call on the government to take urgent action and demand the reinstatement of those dismissed. We call on the government to stop normalising relations with the brutal regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and to suspend arms sales immediately. Silence is complicity.

We call on the Labour Party to stand in solidarity with its sister party and join the HDP solidarity campaign and stand with the people of Turkey and Kurdistan.