HDP MP Leyla Birlik Released

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Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak Deputy Leyla Birlik has been discharged.

Birlik was detained on Decemeber 4, 2016 and arrested within the scope of an operation launched into HDP Co-Chairs and its 10 MPs.

HDP MP Meral Danış Beştaş announced Brilik’s release on Twiter.

With Birlik’s release, the number of arrested HDP MPs has dropped to 11.

12 of 59 MPs arrested

HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, Şırnak MPs Ferhat Encü, Leyla Birlik, Hakkari MPs Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Diyarbakır MPs İdris Baluken, Nursel Aydoğan, Ziya Pir, İmam Taşçıer, Ankara MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım were taken into custody on November 4.

Pir, Taşçıer and Önder were released on probation.

Yüksekdağ, Demirtaş, Baluken, Birlik, Irmak, Aydoğan, Yıldırım, Zeydan and Encü were arrested on the same day.

HDP Hakkari MP Akdoğan was arrested on November 7. 

HDP Group Deputy Chair Çağlar Demirel and HDP Siirt MP Besime Konca were arrested on December 13, which increased the number of arrested HDP MPs to 12.

HDP İstanbul MP Filiz Kerestecioğlu and HDP Muş MP Ahmet Yıldırım were replaced for the arrested group deputy chairs.