Pro-Kurdish party condemns jail sentence for Guven and Demirtas
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on Monday condemned the decision of Turkish courts to sentence former HDP MP Leyla Guven to 11 years and 7 months and former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas to 2 years and 6 months.
The HDP blamed the alliance between Turkey's far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for putting pressure on the HDP ahead of the country's June 2023 general elections.
“We will show no submission to their oppressive policies: Neither in the past, nor ever,” the HDP said in a tweet.
Sentences of 11 years & 7 months to our MP Leyla Güven and 2 years & 6 months to our former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş are merely the latest steps of the AKP-MHP alliance's revenge campaign. We will show no submission to their oppressive policies: Neither in the past, nor ever. pic.twitter.com/N7tUUoEEO5
— HDP English (@HDPenglish) October 17, 2022
On Monday, a Turkish court sentenced Leyla Guven to 11 years and 7 months due to ‘terrorist propaganda’.
On Sept 14, the Ankara Heavy Criminal Court sentenced former HDP Selahattin Demirtas to 2 years and 6 months for "insulting a public servant".
The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers last year called on Turkey to release Kurdish opposition politician Selahattin Demirtas.
Demirtas remains jailed despite European Court of Human Rights rulings calling for his immediate release.