Former HDP deputy candidate captured as PKK member
Gülsüm Kaya, a former deputy candidate for the pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) from Turkey's Erzincan, has been captured in the Espiye district of the northern Giresun province for being a member of the terrorist group PKK.
In an operation led by the Giresun Police Chief against PKK activities in the Black Sea region, Kaya was captured along with four other members of the terrorist group. The extensive operation led to the detention of five PKK members, four of whom were later arrested.
The HDP has long been accused of failing to distance itself from the terrorist group, as co-chairs of the party along with many other deputies currently sit in prison over charges of aiding and abetting the PKK.
In September 2015, a HDP deputy from Kars was also detained while transporting food and other supplies to the PKK. Another HDP deputy, Abdullah Zeydan, previously threatened Turkey by saying that the PKK had the power to "drown Turkey in its spit" and exterminate it.
Ziya Çalışkan, a HDP deputy from Şanlıurfa, attended the funeral of terrorists and referred them as "martyrs" and pledged that they would "live for the honor" of the so-called martyrs.
In addition, HDP's co-spokesman and İzmir Deputy Ertuğrul Kürkçü had said the PKK terror attacks on Turkish security forces were not "a matter of condemnation" in a live broadcast on the BBC on Aug. 6 last year.
The Turkish authorities have since assigned administrators to many of the HDP municipalities in eastern districts due to their continuous support for the terrorist group.
Meanwhile, a court in Ankara on Friday released a lawmaker from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) hours after she was arrested on terrorism charges, a judicial official said.
Ayşe Acar Başaran, who represents the southeastern province of Batman, appeared in court on charges of being a PKK member and resisting a public officer, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
She was released after submitting a four-page plea document to the court.
The deputy was initially arrested in Ankara earlier Friday on suspicion of aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist group.
While HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has some 101 cases filed against him as he awaits trial in jail, the party confirmed this week.
The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey. Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish state for an independent state since the early 2000s. The group then shifted its goal towards autonomy in the predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of eastern Turkey.
The terrorist group carries out attacks under the pretext of defending Kurdish rights, killing scores of civilians, most of them Kurdish, in its attacks.
In an operation led by the Giresun Police Chief against PKK activities in the Black Sea region, Kaya was captured along with four other members of the terrorist group. The extensive operation led to the detention of five PKK members, four of whom were later arrested.
The HDP has long been accused of failing to distance itself from the terrorist group, as co-chairs of the party along with many other deputies currently sit in prison over charges of aiding and abetting the PKK.
In September 2015, a HDP deputy from Kars was also detained while transporting food and other supplies to the PKK. Another HDP deputy, Abdullah Zeydan, previously threatened Turkey by saying that the PKK had the power to "drown Turkey in its spit" and exterminate it.
Ziya Çalışkan, a HDP deputy from Şanlıurfa, attended the funeral of terrorists and referred them as "martyrs" and pledged that they would "live for the honor" of the so-called martyrs.
In addition, HDP's co-spokesman and İzmir Deputy Ertuğrul Kürkçü had said the PKK terror attacks on Turkish security forces were not "a matter of condemnation" in a live broadcast on the BBC on Aug. 6 last year.
The Turkish authorities have since assigned administrators to many of the HDP municipalities in eastern districts due to their continuous support for the terrorist group.
Meanwhile, a court in Ankara on Friday released a lawmaker from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) hours after she was arrested on terrorism charges, a judicial official said.
Ayşe Acar Başaran, who represents the southeastern province of Batman, appeared in court on charges of being a PKK member and resisting a public officer, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
She was released after submitting a four-page plea document to the court.
The deputy was initially arrested in Ankara earlier Friday on suspicion of aiding and abetting the PKK terrorist group.
While HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has some 101 cases filed against him as he awaits trial in jail, the party confirmed this week.
The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU and Turkey. Formed in 1978, the terrorist group has been fighting the Turkish state for an independent state since the early 2000s. The group then shifted its goal towards autonomy in the predominately Kurdish inhabited regions of eastern Turkey.
The terrorist group carries out attacks under the pretext of defending Kurdish rights, killing scores of civilians, most of them Kurdish, in its attacks.
Last Update: January 20, 2017 22:17