Leyla Güven transferred to Elazığ Prison

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Sentenced to 22 years, 3 months in prison and arrested yesterday (December 22), Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Co-Chair and dismissed Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Leyla Güven has been transferred from Diyarbakır Type T Closed Prison to Elazığ Type E Prison.

Güven's daughter Sabiha Temizkan has said on Twitter:

"My mother Leyla Güven is apparently transferred to Elazığ Type E Closed Prison in a haste. What kind of a grudge is it that they are dragging her from one place to another amid pandemic conditions without letting her sleep even for one night? I hope that you will reap what you sowed! 

"And you should also know this well: You will never manage to imprison the love of freedom in her soul."

'We don't know where she is taken to'

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the attorneys who wanted to visit Güven in Diyarbakır Prison were told that she was transferred from Diyarbakır to another prison. The attorneys said that no information was shared with them as to the prison to which Güven was sent.

Speaking to Artı TV, HDP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Meral Danış Beştaş stated the following about what happened in the last two days:

"The court giving a judgement in a hurry was not there at night. It must be because they couldn't find a judge at 11 p.m. or they wanted to torment her a bit more, they took Leyla Güven to the Counterterrorism Branch.

"There was an arrest warrant against her after all and she had to appear before the judge immediately, as stipulated by the law.

"Güven spent the night at the Counterterrorism Branch yesterday. We waited in front of the Security Directorate until 2.30 at night. The prosecutor, again in an arbitrary decision, issued a detention order for 24 hours.

"She was taken to the courthouse in the morning today. As far as I have been informed by her attorneys, the judge saw her for not longer than 2 minutes and the procedures were undertaken at the court registry.

"Everything is done for appearances. They do it to say that they are complying with the due process.

"She was taken from the Diyarbakır Prison at 4 p.m. today and, till now, we do not know the prison she is taken to.

"She was sent to prison this morning and when the attorneys went there to visit her today, they were told that she was taken with someone else and they could not say it for reasons of security.

"We will, without a doubt, learn where she is taken, but I would like to note that transferring to other prisons following these rulings of taking hostage is a really grave practice." (EKN/SD)