Court Rules for Release of Sırrı Süreyya Önder

* Sırrı Süreyya Önder was imprisoned on December 6, 2018

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Arzu Eylem Kayaoğlu, the lawyer of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Ankara MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder, has announced that the ruling of release given by the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court has reached them.

Speaking to Evrim Kepenek from bianet, Kayaoğlu has said, "The ruling has come. We expect that he will be released in evening hours".

After the Constitutional Court announced its ruling on Sırrı Süreyya Önder yesterday (October 3) and concluded that his right to freedom of expression has been violated, it was expected that Önder would be released on the same day. However, Önder was not released yesterday.

What happened?

A lawsuit was filed against former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş and former MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder due to their Newroz speeches in 2013.

Announcing its ruling on September 7, 2018, the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court ruled that Demirtaş shall be sentenced to 4 years, 8 months in prison and Sırrı Süreyya Önder to 3 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization".

The 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice, the court of appeal, upheld the verdicts of conviction of both politicians on December 4, 2018. Önder was imprisoned on December 6, 2018. (PT/SD)