A high criminal court in the eastern province of Batman on Wednesday decided to release on judicial probation pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Siirt deputy Besime Konca, who has been behind bars since Dec.13.
Konca, who is standing trial at the Batman 2nd High Criminal Court, faces charges of membership in an armed terror organization and disseminating the propaganda of a terror organization.
With Konca’s release, the number of HDP deputies who are jailed has fallen from 12 to 11.
On April 21 two HDP deputies, Meral Danış Beştaş and Nursel Aydoğan, were also released by a court in the first hearing of proceedings in which they are being tried on terror charges.
However, a new arrest warrant was issued for Aydoğan on Tuesday.
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 hundreds of local Kurdish politicians as well as 11 HDP deputies including the party’s co-chairs have been arrested on terror charges.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.