Selma Gürkan

Selma Gürkan (1961) is a Turkish unionist and politician who has been the chairwoman of the Labour Party (EMEP) since 21 May 2011.[1]

Selma Gürkan
Chairwoman of the Labour Party
Assumed office
21 May 2011
Preceded byAbdullah Levent Tüzel
Personal details
Born1961 (age 59–60)
Ankara, Turkey
NationalityTurkey
Political partyLabour Party (EMEP)
OccupationPolitician, unionist

In 2015 Gürkan made a joint statement with Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leaders Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ addressing the perceived threats to political freedom in advance of the November elections, in which they called for a commitment to democratic rights.[2]

In February 2018 Gürkan made a speech criticising Turkey's invasion of Afrin, Syria, and was arrested and held under charges of "spreading terrorist propaganda", for which she faces a possible prison sentence of 7 years.[3] 15 other members of the party were arrested but later released for sharing anti-war in Afrin sentiments through social media posts.[4] EMEP was itself banned in 2018 from putting up candidates for local election by the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK). Gürkan is quoted as saying the move was "totally arbitrary and antidemocratic," and the wider campaign of arrests as a threat to freedom of speech.[3]

References
  1. "Selma Gürkan EMEP Genel Başkanı". Evrensel. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  2. "HDP ve EMEP'ten seçim açıklaması". Habertürk. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  3. Sweeney, Steve. "Leading Turkish communist faces jail for anti-war statement". Morning Star. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  4. "EMEP Chairwoman Selma Gürkan's trial posponed to January". Evrensel. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
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