Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ayşe Acar Başaran has been released after being briefly detained in Batman province for failing to attend a trial in which she faces terror charges.
Başaran, who was taken into custody at the Batman airport on Monday morning and taken to the Batman Courthouse, was released after giving her testimony.
The Batman 2nd High Criminal Court issued a detention warrant on July 18 for HDP deputies Başaran and Saadet Becerikli on accusations of disseminating terrorist propaganda.
The court decided to issue the warrants after the two HDP deputies failed to appear at previous court hearings.
Becerikli, who was detained, was recently released after testifying.
There are currently 11 HDP deputies behind bars in Turkey after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government stepped up a crackdown on Kurdish politicians last fall. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast, while hundreds of local Kurdish politicians have been arrested on terror charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.
