Verdict of Release for Leyla Güven

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Diyarbakır 9th Heavy Penal Court has ruled for the release of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Hakkari MP and Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair Leyla Güven, who has been on a hunger strike for 79 days.

Being arrested in Diyarbakır Type E Prison, Leyla Güven went on a hunger strike on November 7, 2018 with the demand that the isolation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan be lifted.

Güven did not attend the hearing due to her health problems.

International travel ban imposed on Güven

The justification for the verdict of release given for Güven has been stated as follows: "On the ground that the majority of the evidence has been collected, there is no possibility of concealing or influencing other evidence, the result intended to be attained with arrest can also be obtained with judicial control measures and considering the time that she has served in prison..."

The court board has also imposed an international travel ban on Güven.

The next hearing will be held on May 29, 2019.

Buldan: We are here to add our voice to hers

The hearing held today (January 25) was attended by HDP Co-Chair Pervin Buldan; Vice Co-Chair Günay Kubilay; Central Committee Board members Gülsüm Ağaoğlu and Emine Kaya; HDP Women's Assembly Spokesperson Dilan Dirayet Taşdemir; Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-Spokesperson Kılıç Koçyiğit; DTK Co-Chair Berdan Öztürk; Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Mehmet Arslan; MPs Ayşe Acar Başaran, Dersim Dağ, Remziye Tosun, İmam Taşçıer, Necdet İpekyüz, Saliha Aydeniz, Meral Danış Beştaş, Hasan Özgüneş, Semra Güzel, Tayyip Temel, Ebru Günay, Musa Farisoğulları and Selçuk Mızraklı.

The hearing was also attended by international observers: Greens Vice Co-Chair Lorena Lopez Lacale, Johan Petter Andersen from Norway Red Party, Hakan Taş from the Left Party in Germany, Co-Chair of Left Party in France Danielle Simonnete, its National Secretary Jean-Christophe Sellin, Communist Party of France Foreign Affairs Responsible Lydia Samarbakhsh, France EgalCite Representative Sylvie Jan.

Speaking before the hearing, Pervin Buldan said, "We are here to add our voice to that of Leyla Güven, to make her cry heard in the world. We are laying claim to her will to say, 'Güven is right, isolation should be lifted'."

What happened?

Leyla Güven, the Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), who was elected as the Hakkari MP of the HDP on June 24, was taken into custody in a raid conducted to her house on January 22, 2018.

Güven, who was arrested due to her statements regarding the Afrin operation, has been facing charges due to the statements for press and events that she attended and the statements that she made.

After being held in custody for nine days, she was arrested by the Diyarbakır 9th Heavy Penal Court on January 31, 2018.

A verdict of release was issued for her upon the application submitted to the court shortly after she was elected an MP. However, upon the objection of the Prosecutor's Office, the court again ruled that her arrest shall continue.

Going on a hunger strike in Diyarbakır Prison, she has been on a hunger strike for 79 days as of today. (AS/SD)