Selahattin Demirtas, the former Co-Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), along with other Kurdish politicians, has been convicted and sentenced to prison on charges related to the case involving the 2014 Kobani protests.
A total of 108 HDP members were prosecuted in relation to the nationwide incidents that occurred on October 6-8, 2014. The trial commenced on April 26, 2021. The defendants faced 29 separate charges, with a request for life imprisonment for each charge, resulting in a total of 38 life sentences and a cumulative imprisonment period of 19,680 years.
Selahattin Demirtas has been sentenced to 42 years in prison, and his detention will continue. FigenYüksekdağ, another Co-Chairman of the HDP, has been given a sentence of 30 years and 3 months of imprisonment. Ahmet Türk, a former Member of Parliament, has received a 10-year prison sentence.
During the announcement of the 130-page verdict, the lawyers expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision by applauding and leaving the courtroom.
