Turkey sentences Kurdish politician to 42 years in prison
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Turkish court sentenced on Thursday Kurdish politician Salahaddin Demirtas to 42 years in prison in charges of inciting protests over ISIS attack on the Kurdish city of Kobani in northern Syria in 2014.
The Turkish indictment said that Demirtas and other politicians from People’s Democratic Party (HDP) contributed to the destabilization of Turkey.
This case is known as Kobani case because the defendants are facing charges for their support of the war against ISIS in Kobani.
Demirtas participated in the presidential race in Turkey in 2014 and 2018, with the latter ending up behind bars.
The court also sentenced 18 defendants, including Demirtas, Figen Yuksekdag, former co-chair of the HDP, and Ahmad Turk, current mayor of Mardin.
The court sentenced Demirtas to 42 years in prison, Yukskedag to 30 years and six months, and Ahmad Turk to 10 years.
On Sep.15, 2014, ISIS launched a major attack on Kobani to take over the city and its outskirts. ISIS took control of the entire countryside and a large area of the city. However, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), with aerial support from the U.S., managed to push ISIS out of the city in January 2015.