Lawsuit Demanding up to 21 Years in Prison Filed Against Leyla Zana

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A lawsuit has been filed demanding up to 21 years in prison on three charges against Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Ağrı MP Leyla Zana.

Among the accusations were Zana doing victory sign, going to the building of Democratic Society Congress (DTK) and her speech at March 8 International Women’s Day.

Zana was detained in Diyarbakır on February 8 and was released on probation by the Criminal Judgeship of Peace on Duty following the prosecution questioning.

The indictment seeks from 8 to 21 years in prison on charges of “being a member of an armed terror group”, “opposing to law on demonstrations and meetings by not dispersing despite police warning”, “praising crime and criminal”.

Who is Leyla Zana?

She entered parliament as Social Democratic Populist Party Diyarbakır MP following an election campaign which saw a huge support from the women in the southeastern region in general elections in 1991.

On November 6, 1991, she was protested for ending her oath in Kurdish in the oath-taking ceremony of Grand National Assembly of Turkey’s (TBMM) 19th legislative year.

On March 2, 1994, parliamentary immunities of Zana, Hatip Dicle, Selim Sadak, Orhan Doğan, Hatip Dicle, Ahmet Türk, Sırrı Sakık and Mahmut Alınak were lifted because of a speech Zana delivered in the US. They all were detained in the following day.

She was sent to prison with her group fellows Dicle, Sadak, and Orhan on March 17, 1994. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 8, 1994 on charge of “being a member of an illegal organization”.

She was released from Ankara Central Closed Prison on June 8, 2004.

What happened?

After the lifting of parliamentary immunities, a large number of HDP MPs have been detained and arrested.

CLICK-THE STATUS OF HDP MPs UP TO DATE

There are 13 HDP MPs behind bars.

HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ has been relieved of her MP duties. (AS/TK)