Constitutional Court to examine jailed politician Gergerlioğlu’s application on July 1

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The General Assembly of the Constitutional Court will examine the application of dismissed Kocaeli MP of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu at its session on July 1, 2021.

After the Court of Cassation upheld his prison sentence of 2 years, 6 months on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" due to his social media posts from 2016, Gergerlioğlu was stripped of his MP status, detained from his house on April 2 and arrested.

Reference to judgement on Berberoğlu

Gergerlioğlu applied to the Constitutional Court and demanded the annulment of the decision stripping him of his MP status.

In his application, Gergerlioğlu referred to main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Enis Berberoğlu, who was similarly stripped of his MP status, but has returned to the Parliament following a ruling of right violation handed down by the Constitutional Court.

The General Assembly of the Constitutional Court will examine and conclude the application of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu on July 1.

His son has announced it on social media

Sharing the date of the Constitutional Court session on his Twitter account, Salih Gergerlioğlu, the son of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, has said, "I am blessed to give such good news on the 100th day. I hope that we will fill the site with the news of release and happy images a week later."

Anayasa Mahkemesi Genel Kurulu, babamın başvurusunu bir hafta sonra yani 1 Temmuz'da görüşecek! pic.twitter.com/qwffYLlpLL

— Salih Gergerlioğlu (@salihro) June 24, 2021

Gergerlioğlu's trial and expulsion from the parliament

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months in prison on the charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" on February 21, 2018, because of a social media post from the year 2016. The conviction was upheld by the 16th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation on February 19, 2021.

Speaking shortly after this ruling was handed down, Gergerlioğlu said that the verdict was "political", adding, "Strip searches, abductions, tortures... Some people got disturbed by us talking about all these."

He also made an application to the Constitutional Court. However, the final ruling of the court was read out at the Plenary Session of the Parliament on March 17, 2021, and he was stripped of his MP duty. He refused to leave the parliament in protest of the decision, starting a "justice watch."

During his protest, he was detained at the parliament as part of a new investigation on March 21 and released on the same day.

Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was detained from his house on April 2, 2021; he was arrested and sent to prison shortly afterwards.

The Constitutional Court rejected an application against the revocation of his parliamentary mandate on March 31. His application against his prison sentence is pending at the court. (KÖ/SD)