The new Turkey
Çağlar Demirel.
HDP deputie

23-Jan-2019

5 September 2016
Subpoenas were issued for eight lawmakers from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) over the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) case in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Sept. 5. HDP group deputy chairman Çağlar Demirel was among the ones that a subpoena was issued for by the Diyarbakır Second Heavy Penal Court, Anadolu Agency reported.

The issuance of subpoenas came after the law regarding the lifting of legislative immunities of lawmakers was published in the Official Gazette.

The trial for eight lawmakers started on Sept. 5, as the lawyers of the deputies were present in the court room. The lawmakers, Osman Baydemir, Dirayet Taşdemir, Demirel, Selma Irmak, Ahmet Yıldırım, Besime Konca, Alican Önlü and Nadir Yıldırım, didn’t participate in the hearing, as the court issued a subpoena for the next hearing. 


13 December 2016

Ankara police detained two lawmakers from the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as part of an anti-terror probe on Dec. 13. 

The HDP’s Diyarbakır deputy and parliamentary group deputy chair, Çağlar Demirel, and its Siirt deputy, Besime Konca, were detained in relation to an ongoing probe in Diyarbakır and Batman. Konca was later released under judicial control. 

However, she was detained again in the evening hours following an objection by the prosecutor. Konca has been probed for her participation in the March 2016 funeral of an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant and for her speech delivered at the event. 

Demirel has been probed for delivering a speech in the Dicle district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the aftermath of military operations against PKK militants.  In her summary of proceedings, Demirel reportedly likened killed PKK militants to “martyrs” and described army operations as “massacres.” 


14 July 2017

Jailed HDP deputy Demirel given 90-month prison sentence on terror charges

Çağlar Demirel, one of 11 jailed deputies from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), has been handed down a prison sentence of 90 months on terror charges.

HDP Diyarbakır deputy Demirel was first detained on Dec. 12, 2016 in Ankara and arrested in Diyarbakır the next day.

Demirel was given a 90-month sentence by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court on charges of membership in a terrorist organization.

4 September 2017
Five lawmakers in the Turkish parliament are facing the risk of being stripped of their statuses as members of parliament in the new legislative year, set to kick off on Oct. 1.

Abdullah Zeydan, Besime Konca and Çağlar Demirel from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and Enis Berberoğlu from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose cases are pending in court amid their appeals, risk losing their seats in parliament. Leyla Zana from the HDP also may face dismissal for failing to attend parliamentary sessions.    

27 February 2018
Nine HDP deputies are currently in prison: Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, Selma Irmak, Abdullah Zeydan, Gülser Yıldırım, Çağlar Demirel, Ferhat Encü, İdris Baluken and Burcu Çelik Özkan.