2017-09-08
ANKARA - A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party's former spokesman Ayhan Bilgen after his arrest in January, a party official said.
"Today a decision was made to release our (former) party spokesman. This is what was necessary," current HDP spokesman Osman Baydemir told reporters in Ankara.
Bilgen, also a lawmaker, was formally charged on January 31 with "belonging to a terrorist organisation" and "incitement to crime", a HDP official said.
He has been released pending trial but faces up to 25 years in prison, the official added.
The accusations are linked to a series of deadly protests in October 2014 by pro-Kurdish activists in support of Syrian Kurds threatened by the Islamic State group.
Officials hold the HDP responsible for the street protests led by demonstrators against Turkey's policy on Syria. Clashes between police and protesters claimed at least 31 lives.
Eight MPs including co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas as well as former party co-leader Figen Yuksekdag, who was stripped of MP status, are currently in detention in Turkey.
Baydemir hit back at the detentions, saying lawmakers' "one and only place" was in parliament rather than prison.
They are accused of belonging to or giving their support to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation proscribed as a "terrorist" group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.
The HDP has always denied being a political front for the PKK.
Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=84753.
ANKARA - A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party's former spokesman Ayhan Bilgen after his arrest in January, a party official said.
"Today a decision was made to release our (former) party spokesman. This is what was necessary," current HDP spokesman Osman Baydemir told reporters in Ankara.
Bilgen, also a lawmaker, was formally charged on January 31 with "belonging to a terrorist organisation" and "incitement to crime", a HDP official said.
He has been released pending trial but faces up to 25 years in prison, the official added.
The accusations are linked to a series of deadly protests in October 2014 by pro-Kurdish activists in support of Syrian Kurds threatened by the Islamic State group.
Officials hold the HDP responsible for the street protests led by demonstrators against Turkey's policy on Syria. Clashes between police and protesters claimed at least 31 lives.
Eight MPs including co-chairman Selahattin Demirtas as well as former party co-leader Figen Yuksekdag, who was stripped of MP status, are currently in detention in Turkey.
Baydemir hit back at the detentions, saying lawmakers' "one and only place" was in parliament rather than prison.
They are accused of belonging to or giving their support to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organisation proscribed as a "terrorist" group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.
The HDP has always denied being a political front for the PKK.
Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=84753.
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