A lawsuit has been brought against HDP Co-Leader Selahattin Demirtaş under Article 301/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) with file no. 2016/324 of the Mardin 1. Criminal Court of First Instance. 

The first hearing will be held at 9:45 am, 25 November 2016, tomorrow.

HDP Co-chair is being charged for the crime of “overtly insulting the Turkish Nation, the Republic and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey” at a speech he made at the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality on 3 February 2016.

The content of this speech, in summary, was a statement that “drew attention to the condition of people trapped in a basement in the district of Cizre at that time, that issued a warning to the government and also made a call to the authorities for a commission including himself to visit Cizre”. Demirtaş will take part in the hearing via SEGBİS [video-conference].

HDP Adana Member of Parliament Meral Danış Beştaş and HDP Urfa Member of Parliament Osman Baydemir will also take part in the hearing as witnesses.