Left-wing opposition Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirta艧 and HDP Ankara MP and Imral谋 Delegation Spokesperson S谋rr谋 S眉reyya 脰nder have both been indicted and threatened with five years imprisonment after the removal of their parliamentary immunity.
Bak谋rk枚y Public Prosecutor prepared an indictment against Demirta艧 and 脰nder on grounds of 鈥渟preading propaganda for a terrorist organisation鈥 in their speeches at a rally in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district on March 17, 2013.
The indictment states that Demirta艧 and 脰nder have yet to testify although they received invitations to convey their defence and evidences with regards to the crime they are accused of, adding that the prosecutor's office has not received written statements of defence either.
The indictment reads: 鈥淭he suspects are deputies of a political party represented in the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey). The remarks they voiced in their speeches during the mentioned rally praised the leader and itself of the terrorist organisation PKK/KCK which seeks to separate a part of the country from state ruling through widespread violence and to found an independent Kurdistan state based on Marxist-Leninist principles, and which has carried out armed actions all around the country since 1984. The state has the right to expect the suspects, of political personalities, to abstain from expressions that praise terrorist activities in the country and reflect them as rightful.鈥
Despite remarking that Demirta艧 and 脰nder's freedom of expression is being targeted in the lawsuit, the indictment defended that the European Convention on Human Rights does not present boundless freedom.
The indictment seeks one to five year prison sentences for Demirta艧 and 脰nder for charges of 鈥渟preading propaganda for a terrorist organisation鈥.
The indictment has been referred to Bak谋rk枚y 2nd High Criminal Court.
[Republished from .]