Turkish top court rules dismissed HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu's rights were violated

Turkey's Constitutional Court on July 1 ruled that the rights of imprisoned and dismissed HDP deputy Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu had been violated and ordered his immediate release. The file of Gergerlioğlu, who is also a physician and longtime human rights advocate, will be sent to parliament for him to regain his status.

Thursday July 01 2021 05:15 pm

Duvar English

Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled on July 1 that the rights of Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, a former lawmaker from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), were violated by his imprisonment on terrorism charges, opening the way for his release and restoration of his parliamentary status.

The top court said that Gergerlioğlu's right to be elected and engage in political activity as well as his right to personal freedom and security had been violated.

In an immediate notification sent to the Kocaeli Heavy Penal Court, which had ruled for Gergerlioğlu's imprisonment, the top court ordered the authorities to undertake the necessary procedures for Gergerlioğlu's release.

Gergerlioğlu's file will be sent to parliament for him to regain his status.

The former HDP lawmaker's son Salih Gergerlioğlu announced the ruling on his Twitter account, saying that it was taken by unanimous vote.

Karar oy birliğiyle alınmış. :)
— Salih Gergerlioğlu (@salihro) July 1, 2021

"My father is about to released," Salih Gergerlioğlu also said.

Gergerlioğlu had his parliamentary status removed in March and was jailed in April after a 2-1/2 year jail sentence on politically motivated "terror" charges.

The charges were related to a link he shared on Twitter to a news story about the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He was found guilty in February 2018 of “spreading terrorism propaganda” on the basis of the social media post.

Thousands of members of the HDP, Turkey's third-largest party, have been tried as part of a years-long crackdown on the party.

Many prominent members of the party have been jailed, including its former co-leaders Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ.

Last month, the Constitutional Court accepted an indictment calling for the HDP to be banned due to alleged ties to the PKK.

The HDP denies links to terrorism and has described the move to ban it as a "political coup."

Topics Turkey Gergerlioğlu Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu HDP Turkish Constitutional Court