Despite the 1 July ruling by the Constitutional Court of Turkey that HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu should be released from jail, the MP is still being detained and today his son was arrested when police attacked a Justice Watch vigil outside the Ankara Sincan Prison where his father is being held.
HDP Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months in prison because of a social media post from 2016. He was also stripped of his position as an elected MP. He appealed to the Constitutional Court which has ruled that his “right to be elected and to engage in political activities” and “the right to personal liberty and security” have been violated.
The pro-Kurd HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party), the third largest party in Turkey, is threatened with closure by the state. It is demanding the immediate release of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu and more than 4,000 imprisoned HDP members, including hundreds of elected representatives such as Selahattin Demirtas, other MPs and dozens of mayors and local councillors.
Source: Kurdistan Tribune
