Aysel Tuğluk, 7 Politicians Arrested

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Detained in Ankara, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Vice Co-Chair in Charge of Human Rights Aysel Tuğluk has been arrested by the court they were taken to.

Within the scope of the case, Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Vice Co-Chair Seydi Fırat, former DTK Chairpersonship Council member Cafer Kan, Edip Yaşar and Abdulbaki Karadeniz, HDP Diyarbakır Provincial Chair Cebbar Leygara, Ramazan Özbek and Halis Bilen have been arrested. Elvan Baran has been released on probation following her proseuction testimony.

Tuğluk and the other four politicians were detained on December 26 on charges of “armed terror organization management” and “being a member of an armed terror organization” as part of an investigation launched by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into the PKK/KCK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party/Kurdistan Communities Union).

The court ruled arrest of Tuğluk on charge of “managing an armed terror organization”.

About Aysel Tuğluk

Born in Elazığ in 1965, Aysel Tuğluk graduated from İstanbul University Faculty of Law. She worked as a self-employed attorney. She was a Social Law Researches Foundation Board Council member. She founded Patriot Women Association. She served as founding member and chairwoman of the Democratic Society Party (DTP). She was elected Diyarbakır MP at 23rd term. In 2011 elections, she became Van MP.

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. (NV/TK)