The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ankara threatens to conduct an inquest into 26 deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) for calling on the Turkish government to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The deputies are charged with “offending the Turkish state”, in accordance with Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Turkey, for a statement that was made on April 24th (Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide), Ahval reports, citing T24 news website.

During the session of the Central Executive Body on April 24th, the HDP called on Turkey to recognize the killings of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, and this sparked Ankara’s heated reactions.

According to T24, political figures of the HDP will be under examination, if the Turkish Ministry of Justice approves of the inquest.

The politicians are charged with “offending the “Turkish nation and the Turkic Republic””, T24 reports, citing the record on the trial.