Süleyman Başer, a media consultant for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) who spent 10 months in prison, said his septuagenarian mother had been stripped naked before visiting him in jail.
Released after 10 months in prison over terror charges on October 3, Başer told media that he is not as happy as expected. “My aunt passed away and I was not able even to attend her funeral. My 65-year-old mother was subjected to naked search and eye screening just to visit me in prison,” Başer said.
Turkey increased its crackdown against the Kurdish political movement following a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and arrested and removed scores of Kurdish local and national political figures. HDP’s 27 provincial heads, 84 district heads, more than 750 officials, 85 mayors in jail.
The government has been criticized for stepping up a crackdown on Kurdish politicians. There are also 10 HDP deputies behind bars in Turkey. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast. (SCF with turkeypurge.com)
