Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır deputy Ziya Pir,who was detained by the Turkish police on Tuesday on the grounds that he did not testify to prosecutors as part of an investigation in which he is accused of insulting a public official, was released on the same day.
The investigation into Pir is being conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. He was released after testifying to prosecutors.
Pir was also detained on Nov.4 but later released under a travel ban.
Turkey has stepped up its crackdown on Kurdish politicians in recent months. Trustees have been appointed to dozens of municipalities in the country’s predominantly Kurdish Southeast, while Turkish courts in November arrested 10 HDP deputies including the party’s co-chairs. Two more HDP deputies were also arrested in early December, bringing the total number of HDP deputies under arrest to 12.
Turkey has also arrested dozens of local Kurdish politicians on terrorism charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.