Lawyers urge authorities to ensure treatment of jailed Kurdish politician Aysel Tuğluk

* Photo: Jinnews

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Her lawyers have made a statement about the health condition of Aysel Tuğluk, the former Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and the former Vice Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who has been imprisoned in the Kocaeli Type F Prison.

Signed by Tuğluk's lawyers Reyhan Yalçındağ Baydemir and Serdar Çelebi, the statement briefly reads as follows:

"One of the Kurdish politicians and laborers of democratic politics who have been held in prison with political motives for nearly five years is Ms. Aysel Tuğluk, who served as the DTP Co-Chair, the HDP Vice Co-Chair and a Member of the Parliament in the past.

"We would like to indicate that since Ms. Aysel Tuğluk fell ill in prison, her lawyers, the HDP Legal Commission and the Human Rights Association (İHD) Central Office have been meticulously following up the process almost on a daily basis so that she will be provided with the necessary treatment and that she will be simultaneously released from prison.

"Our numerous written applications have been submitted to the relevant authorities and the last stage has been reached. As the local medical institution reports on Aysel Tuğluk have been finalized and considering that she was also examined by the Forensic Medicine Institution last week, we are waiting for the forensic medical report to be issued without any delay.

'Public will be informed'

"As Ms. Aysel Tuğluk and her family, since the beginning, do not want her disorder to be shared with the public before the process is completed, we, by complying with their will, will inform the public again in the event that the legal proceedings we are undertaking are completed."

Extending their thanks to all segments of the society expressing sensitivity to the health condition of Aysel Tuğluk, the lawyers have reiterated that the Forensic Medicine Institution should issue the report without delay.

What happened?

On December 29, 2016, when she was the Vice Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Kurdish politician Aysel Tuğluk was arrested along with seven other politicians from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and the Democratic Society Congress (DTK).

The indictment filed against Tuğluk, who was the DTK Co-Chair till September 2014, brought her statements to the press as well as the funerals that she attended as criminal evidence against the politician.

On March 16, 2018, the Ankara 17th Heavy Penal Court sentenced Aysel Tuğluk to 8 years in prison as per the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) no. 3713. Increasing this prison term by half, the court then gave 12-years prison sentence to the politician. Lastly, it has decreased this prison sentence by one sixth and ruled that she shall be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

As Aysel Tuğluk's appeal to the Ankara Regional Court of Justice was rejected, her file was sent to the Court of Cassation.

About Aysel Tuğluk

Politician.

She was the founding member and Co-Chair of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) and elected Diyarbakır MP in 2007-2009. She became the Van MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in 2011-2015. She served as the Vice Co-Chair of the HDP responsible for Law and Human Rights.

Aysel Tuğluk was also a member of the Society and Law Studies Foundation Executive Board, a member of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the founder of the Patriotic Women's Association.

Born in Elazığ in 1965, she graduated from the Faculty of Law of İstanbul University and worked as a self-employed lawyer. (EMK/SD)