A Diyarbakır court has ruled for the re-arrest of pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Nursel Aydoğan who was released from jail on April 21. The court made its decision when the Diyabakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office objected to Aydoğan’s release.
Aydoğan is being tried at the Diyarbakır 4th High Criminal Court and facing a jail sentence of a total of 103 years on various terror-related charges. Aydoğan was arrested on Nov. 4, 2017 as part of an investigation into the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) along with some other party deputies including the party’s co-chairs.
On Monday morning, (HDP) Şanlıurfa deputy İbrahim Ayhan was also detained at the GAP Airport in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa. Ayhan was taken into custody on the grounds that he failed to attend a trial at the Şanlıurfa 5th High Criminal Court in which he faces charges of disseminating the propaganda of a terrorist organization.
There are currently 12 HDP deputies behind bars. Turkey has stepped up its crackdown on Kurdish politicians in recent months. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast, while hundreds of local Kurdish politicians have been arrested on terror charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries. (turkishminute.com)
