Prosecutor seeks up to 142 years in prison for jailed HDP co-chair

ISTANBUL

AFP photo

Indictments regarding the jailed co-leaders of the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) have been completed, with the prosecutor seeking up to 142 years in jail for Selahattin Demirtaş and up to 83 years in jail for Figen Yüksekdağ.

Among the charges directed to Demirtaş are “managing a terrorist organization,” “making terrorist propaganda,” “inciting people to violence and hatred,” and “praising crime and the criminal,” for which the prosecutor demands a prison sentence of between 43 years and 142 years. 

Yüksekdağ is charged with “opposing the meeting and rally law,” “inciting people to violence and hatred” and “provoking people to commit crimes,” for which the prosecutor demands a prison sentence of between 30 years and 83 years.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of Ahmet Türk, the ousted and jailed mayor of the southeastern province of Mardin, has said his health is in a poor condition and “the public is waiting for him to be released.” 

“Türk’s health condition is poor. It’s not right for him to be transferred to a prison in [the eastern province of] Elazığ at a time when the public is waiting for him to be released,” lawyer Erdal Kuzu told the Doğan News Agency, referring to Türk’s transfer to Elazığ from Istanbul’s Silivri prison. 

Kuzu said Türk had been expecting to be transferred to a jail in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

“Ahmet Türk learned that he was being transferred to Elazığ on the plane as he was expecting to be transferred to Diyarbakır D Type prison,” he added. 

“He is uncomfortable with being on the agenda with his health problems. But due to his deteriorating health conditions it is a risk for him to travel. He needs to be released as soon as possible,” Kuzu said.

Kuzu also said he had met the jailed co-mayor of Diyarbakır, Fırat Anlı, who was also transferred to Elazığ from Kandıra prison. Kuzu said Türk’s application to stay in the same cell as Anlı had been rejected. 

Elsewhere, a prosecutor in the southeastern province of Şırnak has demanded a jail sentence of 103 years for Nursel Aydoğan, a jailed MP from the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). 

Among the charges in Aydoğan’s indictment are “making the propaganda of an illegal organization,” “praising crime and the criminal” and “inciting people to hatred and enmity.”

Aydoğan was previously sentenced to four years, eight months and seven days in prison over “committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization” while not being a member.