Turkey: HDP lawmaker sentenced to 8 years in jail

By Aziz Aslan

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) - A Turkish court sentenced Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) parliament member Abdullah Zeydan to eight years in prison over terror charges on Thursday.

Hakkari MP Abdullah Zeydan was found guilty of "helping a terrorist organization without being a member of it" and spreading terrorist propaganda.

Zeydan will serve eight years and 45 days in prison, the Diyarbakir 5th Heavy Penal Court decided.

The Turkish government has accused the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.

For more than 30 years, the PKK has waged a terror campaign against Turkey leading to the deaths of more than 40,000 people -- security forces and civilians alike -- including more than 1,200 since July 2015 alone.