PodcastFormer HDP co-chair Demirtaş barred from reading his own interview in jail
Former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş was barred from reading an issue of daily Evrensel that included an interview conducted with him, his lawyer has said. "The reasons behind these bans are arbitrary in almost all prisons. Only the pro-government newspapers are allowed. Different and opposition voices can't enter jails," he tweeted.
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Former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş was barred from reading his own interview in jail, his lawyer has said, as he also slammed the restrictions applied in prisons.
Demirtaş, who has been kept in a prison in western Turkey since Nov. 4, 2016, was not given the issue of daily Evrensel that included his interview, with jail officials saying that "it increases animosity towards the state."
"The scope of the bans in prisons is expanding day by day. The Dec. 9 issue of Evrensel that included an interview with Demirtaş was not given to him," Ramazan Demir tweeted on Dec. 17, adding that authorities have been banning issues of Kurdish media outlets in jails for the past year.
Demir also said that an article published in a mainstream newspaper would be considered suitable, whereas it would not be allowed if it's published in an opposition paper.
"The reasons behind these bans are arbitrary in almost all prisons. Only the pro-government newspapers are allowed. Different and opposition voices can't enter jails," he added.
Demirtaş to draw cartoons weekly
Separately, Demirtaş will draw cartoons for a weekly cartoon magazine, the publication announced on Dec. 18.
The first cartoon of the former co-chair was published in Leman magazine.