HDP MP Besime Konca Released

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People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Siirt MP Besime Konca has been released.

Konca was jailed pending trial on charge of “being a member of an armed terror organization and propagandizing for a terror organization” on December 13, 2016.

In the trial held on May 3, 2017, international travel ban was imposed on her and she was released but the prosecutor’s office objected. Evaluating the objection, Batman 3rd Heavy Penal Court issued a detention warrant for Konca on May 8.

Konca was detained in Batman on May 29, 2017 and then arrested.

There are 10 HDP MPs behind bars including Figen Yüksekdağ and Nursel Aydoğan who were relieved of MP duties.

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. (NV/TK)