Jailed HDP MP stripped of parliamentary status released from prison
Leyla Güven, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy who was stripped of her parliamentary seat and arrested last week, has been released from prison. The move came after lawyers filed an application for Güven's release citing her one-year imprisonment in a case which has not been yet concluded.
Duvar English
Leyla Güven of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who was last week stripped of her status as a deputy, was released from prison on June 9, Mezopotamya news agency reported.
Along with HDP lawmaker Musa Farisoğulları and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu, Güven lost her parliamentary status on June 4. All of the opposition deputies were imprisoned hours later.
Güven was convicted to six years and three months in prison on terrorism charges, but as she had previously served a major part of her sentence, Güven had only 1.5 months left in her sentence.
Lawyers applied to the authorities for Güven to serve the remaining 1.5-month sentence on probation, but this was turned down.
Then, lawyers filed another application for Güven's release citing her one-year imprisonment in another case which has not been yet concluded. The authorities this time accepted the lawyers' demand, releasing the former HDP deputy.
HDP deputies are often accused of having links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). A number of its deputies were stripped of their statuses in the past and scores of HDP members, including former lawmakers and mayors, are currently imprisoned.