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Another HDO co-leader facing investigation in Turkey

31 July 2015 13:12 (UTC +04:00)

On July 19, Figen Yuksekdag made remarks in Suruc - the scene of a bombing the following day that killed 32 activists in a suspected Daesh attack - referring to the Syrian Kurd Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its two armed wings.

Using a Turkish phrase meaning to rely on the protection of, she said: "We lean our back on YPJ, YPG and PYD and we do not see any harm in mentioning and defending it.”

She is accused of propagating the terrorist organization.

If the investigation results in a criminal prosecution, the Sanliurfa prosecutors’ office said it would seek to revoke her parliamentary immunity.

Demirtas, another HDP co-leader, also faces an inquiry from prosecutors for incitement stemming from remarks he made before a wave of riots across Turkey in October last year.

If the process results in a criminal prosecution, Demirtas may be stripped of his deputy immunity and sentenced to up to 24 years in prison.