11 July 2017•Update: 11 July 2017
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey
A court in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday has acquitted an opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker of three charges.
The chief public prosecutor in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir had been seeking a 20-year prison sentence for the lawmaker from the eastern Agri province, Leyla Zana.
On Tuesday, the 5th Diyarbakir Criminal Court’s acquittal was made on the grounds of “insufficient evidence for a conviction”.
According to the Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Zana was accused of being a member of an armed terrorist group, disseminating terrorist propaganda and illegal assembly.
Zana was detained on Feb. 8 for failing to answer a summons linked to a counterterrorism investigation. She was released under judicial control later the same day.
The government has accused the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.
Several HDP deputies, including party leaders Figen Yuksekdag and Selahattin Demirtas, were arrested last November for allegedly failing to cooperate in a counterterrorism investigation.
The lawmakers began facing prosecution under antiterrorism legislation after their parliamentary immunity was lifted in March 2016.
Reporting by Aziz Aslan;Writing by Kubra Chohan
