DEVA Party's Metin Gürcan rearrested

Photo: Social Media

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Facing up to 35 years in prison for "espionage," Metin Gürcan, a founding member of the Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party, a splinter movement from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has been arrested again today (May 13) after being released 2 days ago.

Ankara 27th Heavy Penal Court discussed the objection by the prosecutor's office against Gürcan, which emphasizes the evidence against Gürcan and the upper limit of the sentence given for him.

Ankara 27th High Criminal Court accepted the objection by the prosecutor's office and an arrest warrant was issued against Gürcan. Gürcan was rearrested and sent to prison.

CLICK: Charged with 'espionage,' DEVA Party's Metin Gürcan released after five months under arrest

What happened

Gürcan was detained at his home in İstanbul on November 26 in an investigation for "obtaining classified information of the state for political or military espionage purposes" and was arrested on November 29.

After his arrest, photos showing him with diplomats from Spain and Italy surfaced. Gürcan said he had been preparing reports for diplomatic missions of those countries, but all the information he provided had been compiled from open sources.

Ali Babacan, the leader of the DEVA Party stated the following after Gürcan was arrested for the first time in 2021
"If there are political motivations behind this arrest, let them know that members of DEVA will never give up." (RT/TB)