HDP Spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen Arrested

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Kars MP and the party's Spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen has been arrested.

Upon opposition by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, warrant was issued to forcibly take HDP Adana MP Meral Danış Beştaş and HDP Party Spokesperson Ayhan Bilgen for arrest.

On January 28 Meral Danış Beştaş and on January 29 Ayhan Bilgen were taken into custody and later released on probation on the same day. Meral Danış Beştaş was arrested on January 30.

With Bilgen's arrest, 12 HDP MPs remain behind bars.

"News were already in the media before notice of decision was served"

HDP Diyarbakır MP Ziya Pir shared a photograph in the media demonstrating that documents regarding the arrest decision were already in the media before the notice of the arrest decision was even served to Bilgen.

12 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.

With Bilgen's arrest on January 31, 12 HDP MPs remain behind bars.(BK/DG)