Tags: EU | Turkey | Kurds

Turkish Police Briefly Detain Pro-Kurdish Party Lawmaker

Friday, 23 December 2016 06:47 AM EST

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police on Friday briefly detained a deputy speaker of parliament, forcibly taking her to a court to testify in an on-going case where she is accused of making propaganda in support of outlawed Kurdish rebels.

Pervin Buldan, a senior legislator from the Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, later told reporters waiting outside the courthouse that she was released after telling court officials that she would not testify in the "politically-motivated" case.

Turkey's government accuses the HDP, the nation's third-largest party, of links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its western allies. The HDP rejects the accusation.

In May, parliament voted to strip lawmakers of their legal immunity, paving the way for the arrests of HDP legislators. A total of 12 HDP legislators have been jailed on terrorism-related charges since then, including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said Buldan was called to provide "additional testimony" over a case where she is accused of "praising a crime and a criminal" as well as engaging in "propaganda in favor of a terror organization."

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Europe
Turkish police on Friday briefly detained a deputy speaker of parliament, forcibly taking her to a court to testify in an on-going case where she is accused of making propaganda in support of outlawed Kurdish rebels.Pervin Buldan, a senior legislator from the Turkey's...
EU,Turkey,Kurds
191
2016-47-23
Friday, 23 December 2016 06:47 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
 
TOP

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved