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Washington Kurdish Institute
June 1, 2017
The Turkish court in the city of Batman sentenced a Kurdish lawmaker of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), Ms. Besime Konca to two years and six months. Prior to the final sentence, the Turkish authorities jailed the Kurdish lawmaker for six months from December 13, 2016, until May 3, 2017. After her recent release, she was once again arrested by police on May 29 after the city court of Batman recalled her. Konca is accused of “spreading terrorist propaganda” — a similar charge that hundreds of other elected Kurdish officials in Turkey are facing.
In March 2016, Konca attended a funeral of a member of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey, which is in conflict with the Turkish government for decades over the rights of the Kurdish people. Attending the funeral of a member of PKK were used against her in court. The Turkish government resumed the fight against the PKK in July of 2015 after ending a peace process the lasted two years.
Twelve lawmakers of HDP remain in Turkish jails including HDP’s Co-chair Selahaddin Demirtash and former Co-chair Fiegn Yuskdag. The Turkish government also launched arrest campaigns against Kurdish politicians since July 2016 when a failed coup took place by nationalist Turks against Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Despite the pro-Kurdish HDP denouncing the coup attempt against Erdogan, the Turkish government launched a massive scale purge against elected Kurdish lawmakers, mayors,