HDP MP Besime Konca Arrested

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Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Siirt MP Besime Konca was detained in Ankara on December 12 and then released but then arrested again upon objection by prosecutor’s office last night.

Konca was taken into custody in Diyarbakır Courthouse where she came to watch hearing of HDP Group Deputy Chair Çağlar Demirel.

Batman 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace ruled arres of Konca on charges of “Being a member of an armed terror organization” and “propagandizing for terror”.

The number of arrested HDP MPs has increased to 12 with the arrest.

Warrant to bring eight MPs to court by force

Diyarbakır 2nd Heavy Penal Court had ruled that HDP MPs Osman Baydemir, Dirayet Taşdemir, Çağlar Demirel, Selma Irmak, Ahmet Yıldırım, Besime Konca, Alican Önlü and Nadir Yıldırım be brought to court by force.

Who is Besime Konca?

Born in Maraş in 1970, she graduated from Samsun 19 Mayıs high school. She stayed in prison over political crimes between 1993 and 2004 for 11 years. She was arrested as part of KCK Main Case Operations in 2009, and released in 2014.

She worked at Free Women Congress Foundation for some time.

Konca was elected HDP Siirt MP in 2015.

12 MPs arrested

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.

Pir, Taşçıer and Önder were released on probation.

Yüksekdağ, Demirtaş, Baluken, Birlik, Irmak, Aydoğan, Yıldırım, Zeydan and Encü were arrested on the same day.

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. (NV/TK)