February 01, 2019•Update: February 01, 2019
By Volkan Kasik
MALATYA, Turkey
A Turkish court on Friday sentenced opposition Democratic Regions Party (DBP) co-chair Sebahat Tuncel and ousted Diyarbakir Mayor Gultan Kisanak to more than 14 years in prison apiece on terrorism charges, according to judicial sources.
A High Criminal Court in the eastern Malatya province found Kisanak and Tuncel guilty of terrorist organization membership and spreading terrorist propaganda, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
The DBP is the regional-level sister party of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).
Turkey’s government accuses the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.
