Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ remains under arrest over terrorism-related allegations since November 2016 alongside other former co-chair of the party, Selahattin Demirtaş and 7 other Kurdish deputies. She is held in Kandıra F Type Closed Prison.

The final hearing in the case against Yüksekdağ, in which she stands trial for “insulting the President, was held at Van 7th Penal Court of First Instance on Tuesday.

The hearing was attended by Yüksekdağ via video-conferencing system SEGBIS, and lawyers for AKP Leader Tayyip Erdoğan in person.

“WE WILL RESIST AND WIN”

Yüksekdağ said the following; “a truth, an idea cannot be jailed for years and punished. This method has been implemented several times throughout history but has never succeeded. If a people stand behind their party despite all the repressive measures, this truth can never be lost or punished.”

Yüksekdağ continued; “We will resist the tyrant. If we don’t resist, they will win. Our people and we are resisting and they will lose. Every Palace will collapse one day and those reigning will get buried under the rubble.”

The Court imposed Yüksekdağ 1,740 TL fine.

Who is Figen Yüksekdağ?

Figen Yüksekdağ is a co-founder of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (Ezilenian Sosyalist Partisi, ESP) and was its leader until September 2014. Following her resignation, she joined the HDP. That same year, ESP joined the HDP, which acts as the umbrella party for several small parties. At the second HDP congress, Figen Yüksekdağ was elected co-chair on 22 June 2014. At the same time as Selahattin Demirtaş and numerous other HDP MPs, she was arrested on 4 November 2016 at the instigation of the Turkish President Recep Tayypip Erdoğan.