ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The computer of the lawyer of Selahattin Demirtas has been stolen just days before his trial on terror charges is set to begin.
Late on Sunday night, thieves broke into the office of lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar in Diyarbakir, taking his computer that contained information related to Demirtas’ trial, Dogan News Agency reported.
The theft is being investigated.
Demirtas, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), is facing terror-related charges on allegations of links to the PKK – a named terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe, and the United States. An Ankara criminal court set December 7 as the first date for his hearing.
HDP has condemned the charges as politically-motivated efforts to suppress opposition. On Monday, the party released a statement of support from a group of American and European thinkers, artists, and politicians.
Under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is “divided into those loyal to Erdogan and those who are not, the latter being labeled as “terrorists,” “traitors” or “enemies” by his increasingly authoritarian regime,” read the statement from Noam Chomsky and Yanis Varoufakis, among others.
“There is no democracy without an opposition,” the statement continued, demanding the release of HDP party members.
Other HDP members are also facing similar charges, including Demirtas’ former co-chair Figen Yuksekdeg. In addition to the co-chairs, 13 other party deputies have been imprisoned; four have been released, according to the party.
Demirtas was detained on November 4, 2016. He is being held in high security Edirne prison.
Late on Sunday night, thieves broke into the office of lawyer Mehmet Emin Aktar in Diyarbakir, taking his computer that contained information related to Demirtas’ trial, Dogan News Agency reported.
The theft is being investigated.
Demirtas, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), is facing terror-related charges on allegations of links to the PKK – a named terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe, and the United States. An Ankara criminal court set December 7 as the first date for his hearing.
HDP has condemned the charges as politically-motivated efforts to suppress opposition. On Monday, the party released a statement of support from a group of American and European thinkers, artists, and politicians.
Under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey is “divided into those loyal to Erdogan and those who are not, the latter being labeled as “terrorists,” “traitors” or “enemies” by his increasingly authoritarian regime,” read the statement from Noam Chomsky and Yanis Varoufakis, among others.
“There is no democracy without an opposition,” the statement continued, demanding the release of HDP party members.
Other HDP members are also facing similar charges, including Demirtas’ former co-chair Figen Yuksekdeg. In addition to the co-chairs, 13 other party deputies have been imprisoned; four have been released, according to the party.
Demirtas was detained on November 4, 2016. He is being held in high security Edirne prison.
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