Kurdish politician Bozyel released by Turkish police

Bozyel’s lawyer, Hasan Dagtekin, told Kurdistan 24 that Bozyel was released after an appeal to the judge was accepted.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/11/16 08:31

Kurdish politician Bozyel was released on Monday. (Photo: K24)

Turkey Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) Bayram Bozyel

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Deputy Chairman of the Kurdistan Socialist Party (PSK) Bayram Bozyel was released on Monday after being arrested by Turkish police in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) during a security operation one week ago.

Bozyel’s lawyer, Hasan Dagtekin, told Kurdistan 24 that Bozyel was released after an appeal to the judge was accepted. Bozyel will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 11 am.

Initially, it was not clear why Bozyel and 12 other Kurdish activists and trade union members were arrested.

Dağtekin said that the reasons for his arrest were the statements he made to the press, the Kurdish songs found on his computer taken from his home, and his articles in Deng Magazine. He also had press releases about the Halabja chemical attack, the commemoration of Kurdish resistance leader Sheikh Said, Kurdish Language Platform, and the closure of the PSK by Turkey’s Constitutional Court.

Since the July 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has arrested and investigated many human rights defenders and Kurdish politicians, mostly on terrorism charges.

The measure has led to the arrest of hundreds of Kurdish politicians, including the former co-leader of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtas, several lawmakers, and dozens of Kurdish mayors.

Deputy PSK head Bozyel was also investigated by the Turkish judicial authorities in 2018 because he supported the Kurdistan Region's referendum on independence from Iraq held on Sept. 25, 2017.