Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Spokesman Ayhan Bilgen, for whom an arrest warrant was issued yesterday, went to Diyarbakır Courthouse to give his statement today noon. Accompanied by HDP deputies at the court, Bilgen was formally arrested soon later.

HDP Spokesperson Bilgen had been detained on January 27 and released on probation the same day, after which Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office appealed the verdict and issued an arrest warrant for him, alongside HDP Adana MP Meral Danış Beştaş who was also jailed last night.

While saying goodbye to her colleagues late yesterday evening before her expected arrest, Beştaş said: "I am Tahir Elçi's friend, they cannot scare me".

In the meantime, Turkish Star newspaper reported that Bilgen was formally arrested when he just arrived at the court for testimony. The mainstream media had published same kind of reports when HDP deputies were taken into custody and even their lawyers were not informed yet about their arrest.