Ferhat Encü, one of 11 jailed deputies from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has been handed down a prison sentence of 55 months, 10 days on terror charges by a Şırnak court.
The fifth hearing of Encü’s trial was held at the Şırnak 2nd High Criminal Court on Friday.
Encü was first arrested in a police operation on Nov. 4 along with eight other deputies including the party’s Co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ. He was released from Kandıra Prison in February but arrested again the same month.
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 have been arrested on terror charges. There are currently 11 HDP deputies behind bars.
The developments have attracted widespread criticism from the region and Western countries.