HDP MP Ferhat Encü Taken Into Custody

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Being released after three months of arrest, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak MP Ferhat Encü has been taken into custody in Şerafettin Elçi Airport in Şırnak.

Encü was had been taken into custody in an operation against HDP MPs on November 4, 2016, arrested and later released on February 15, 2017. 

11 of 59 HDP MPs remain behind bars

HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, Şırnak MPs Ferhat Encü, Leyla Birlik, Hakkari MPs Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Diyarbakır MPs İdris Baluken, Nursel Aydoğan, Ziya Pir, İmam Taşçıer, Ankara MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Mardin MP Gülser Yıldırım were taken into custody on November 4. Yüksekdağ, Demirtaş, Baluken, Birlik, Irmak, Aydoğan, Yıldırım, Zeydan and Encü were arrested on the same day.

Pir, Taşçıer and Önder were later released on probation.

HDP Hakkari MP Akdoğan was arrested on November 7.

HDP Group Deputy Chair Çağlar Demirel and HDP Siirt MP Besime Konca were arrested on December 13, which increased the number of arrested HDP MPs to 12.

HDP İstanbul MP Filiz Kerestecioğlu and HDP Muş MP Ahmet Yıldırım were replaced for the arrested group deputy chairs.
Şırnak MP Leyla Birlik was released on January 4, 2017.

Baluken was discharged on January 30, 2017.

First released on probation after getting arrested, Adana MP Meral Danış Beştaş was taken into custody and arrested again on January 30, 2017 upon opposition by the Prosecutor's office.

Ayhan Bilgen was arrested on January 31.

With the release of Ferhat Encü, 11 HDP MPs remain behind bars. (EKN/DG)