The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) is pleased to invite you to a Westminster Debate with keynote speakers Vice-President of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Mr Gursel Tekin MP for Istanbul and Deputy Chairman of the CHP Dr Sezgin Tanrikulu MP for Istanbul.
Please see speaker biographies below.
The event will take place on Tuesday 9 February 2016, between 7.00PM and 9.00PM in Committee Room 4A, the House of Lords. Please note that security checks are required to enter the House of Commons, so we kindly ask you to arrive at 6.30PM, allowing the event to start and end promptly on time.
This event is kindly hosted by Lord Northbrook.
Following the November General Elections, despite Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) victory which was expected to bring political stability in the country, Turkey’s tumultuous months have not come to a halt. Violent clashes between Turkish Armed Forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey have intensified leaving over a hundred civilians killed and many injured according to human rights organisations. Due to a string of curfews in south-eastern towns and cities, many have had to flee. In addition to calls for an end to the hostilities to both sides and return to peace talks, Turkish political agenda has been occupied with talks over making of Turkey’s first civil constitution replacing the 1982 military constitution with a focus on establishing a presidential system. At the same time, deadly terrorist attacks in Turkish cities carried out by DAESH (also known as ISIS, the so-called Islamic State) bombers over the recent months, upheaval in the region due to the Syrian war, and the tensions escalating between the region’s leading countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia has made Turkey’s foreign policy ever more pivotal.
Our keynote speakers, CHP MPs Mr Tekin and Dr Tanrikulu, will address the issues that Turkey is currently facing and the main opposition party’s strategies for resolution.
The speakers will speak in Turkish. However, translation will be delivered during the speech and Q&A.
We look forward to welcoming you at this CEFTUS Westminster Debate.
Booking is required for this event to ensure adequate seating availability.
Speaker biographies
Mr Gursel Tekin MP is Vice-President of the CHP. Mr Tekin began his political career when he became a member of Social Democracy Party (SODEP) in Turkey in 1984. He became a councillor in Kadikoy Municipality in 1989. Tekin joined the CHP following to his political party Social Democrats Party (SHP) merged with the CHP and he was elected to be Vice-Mayor of Kadikoy in 1999 and became Provincial CHP chairman of Istanbul Province in 2007 prior to his promotion to Deputy Chairmanship of the CHP in 2010. His articles have been published in several newspapers and journals.
Dr Sezgin Tanrıkulu is Deputy Chairman of the CHP. He is a human rights lawyer and co-founded the Diyarbakır Human Rights Association. He studied Law at Istanbul University, completed his Master’s in Public Law Dicle University and his PhD in Social Sciences at Kultur University. He served as Head of Diyarbakir Bar Association between 2002-2008. In 1997, Dr Tanrikulu won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.