A high criminal court in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakır has ruled to keep pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Leyla Güven in jail, according to Turkish media reports on Wednesday.
The latest hearing in Güven’s trial in which she faces terrorism charges was held at the Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court on Wednesday.
Following Güven’s election to parliament in the general election of June 24, her lawyers petitioned the court, asking for Güven’s release on the grounds that she won parliamentary immunity, but court has so far refused to release her.
During Wednesday’s hearing Güven’s lawyer reminded the court that a Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy, Enis Berberoğlu, was released from jail although he was convicted of revealing state secrets.
Berberoğlu was released from jail in September after 15 months of imprisonment on espionage charges.
Güven was arrested on Jan.31. She faces a prison sentence of between 17.5 and 31.5 years on charges of establishing and leading a terrorist organization, disseminating the propaganda of a terrorist organization and provoking the public to take part in illegal demonstrations.
In the meantime Güven is currently on a hunger strike demanding the removal of the “heavy lockdown” of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).