The Batman 3rd High Criminal Court has ruled for the arrest of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Siirt deputy Besime Konca, who was released by another Batman court last week after five months in detention, the Diken news website reported on Monday.
The new ruling came after a prosecutor appealed the decision for the release of the Konca, who was arrested on Dec. 13, 2016 on 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 had fallen from 11 to 10.
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 of last week.
A high criminal court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Thursday decided to release former pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Ayla Akat Ata, who has been behind bars for six months.
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.