Kurdish singer and activist Ferhat Tunçhas been indicted on terrorism charges and faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years, the Mesopotamia news agency reported on Friday.
An investigation into Tunç conducted by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been concluded and an indictment drafted.
The indictment, which has been accepted by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, seeks a prison sentence of between eight-and-a-half years and 20 years on charges of membership in a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist propaganda.
The indictment says technical and physical surveillance showed Tunç attended meetings of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an umbrella group of the Kurdish political movement, on various dates. The DTK is seen as illegal by Turkey.
The indictment also mentions Tunç’s criticism of a Turkish military operation in Syria’s city of Afrin, which began last year, as constituting a crime.