TURKEY’S opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) will launch a new campaign next week aimed at countering attempts to close the party down in a “dirty war” being waged by the state.
The party’s youngest parliamentary representative Dersim Dag explained that a series of activities will be focused on four main themes: the isolation of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan; the hunger strikes being waged in more than 100 Turkish jails; the so-called Kobane trial, in which 108 senior HDP figures face prison; and the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas should be released.
KURDISH journalist Mehmet Aslan vowed to “continue the pursuit of the truth” today as he was jailed by a Turkish court on trumped-up charges of terrorism.
The Mesopotamia Agency reporter was charged with membership of an unnamed terrorist organisation, usually meaning the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
He denies the charges, insisting that “journalism was on trial.”
“I have been working as a journalist for two years. I work at Mesopotamia Agency. I have never been a member of any illegal structure, nor have I any affiliation,” Mr Aslan said.
“The accusations against me were all about my activities as a journalist. I have never been instructed by any organisation to do anything and there is no evidence of it. I deny all accusations.”