Turkey's pro-Kurdish party former co-chair, MP to remain in prison

A court ruled for former HDP deputy Abdullah Zeydan's release, hours before accepting an objection to rule for the continuation of his arrest. The release of the party's former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş was also ruled, but he will also stay in jail due to another case that he was given a prison term.

Duvar English

A former deputy from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and its former co-chair will remain in prison, following the adoption of a judiciary reform package.

A court ruled for the release of deputy Abdullah Zeydan on Nov. 1, which was followed by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır objecting to the ruling.

The court subsequently accepted the objection and ruled for the continuation of Zeydan's arrest.

A day earlier, an Istanbul court also ruled for the release of the party's former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş in a case that he faced over four years in prison.

Although a release order was issued, Demirtaş will remain in jail due to another case that his arrest was ruled.

Zeydan and Demirtaş have been kept in a jail in the western province of Edirne since Nov. 4, 2016.

The deputy and the former co-chair share the same cell.