Turkey: HDP deputy jailed for attending illegal protest

By Rauf Maltas

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) - An opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy was sentenced on Wednesday to more than one-and-a-half years in prison for violating laws on meetings and demonstrations, said judicial sources.

A court in Turkey’s southeast Sanliurfa province found Ayse Surucu guilty of taking part in illegal demonstrations in 2016.

Surucu was not in court but was represented by her lawyer.

Turkey’s government accuses the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, it has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur