Turkish court arrests former HDP MP at airport as part of Kobane case

Duvar English

A Turkish court on Nov. 1 arrested former opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Hüda Kaya.

She was detained on the same day at Istanbul Airport 10 minutes before her plane’s take off over “participating in an illegal meeting or demonstration, insisting on not dispersing despite warnings and use of force, and resisting to prevent people from doing their duty” within the scope of Kobane investigation, her lawyer Zilan Leventoğlu announced.

“Although she has been accessible and at her residence for months, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has ruled her a fugitive,” her lawyer said and added that the court did not remove “fugitive” status of Kaya despite her wanting to give her testimony.

Hüda Kaya'nın avukatı Zilan Leventoğlu, yaptığı açıklamada, müvekkilinin ifadeye hazır olduğunu defalarca bildirmesine rağmen kaldırılmayan "kaçaklık kararı" nedeniyle "haksız ve keyfi bir şekilde" gözaltına alındığını aktardı. Av. Leventoğlu, açıklamasında şunları kaydetti:

“As a result, today, she was detained at the airport for hours, despite the fact that the passport procedures were completed without any problems, 10 minutes before the flight took off, again completely arbitrarily,” she added.

Leventoğlu later told online news outlet Artı Gerçek that she was detained within the scope of the Kobane investigation. 

Later on Nov. 1, a Turkish court arrested Kaya, HDP’s successor Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) announced.

The Kobane case

The Kobane protests took place between Oct. 6 and 8, 2014 and caused the deaths of dozens. Protesters flooded streets in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast at the time, outraged over the Turkish government's inaction in protecting Syrian Kurds as ISIS besieged Kobane, just across the Syrian border. 

The prosecutor’s indictment regarding the Kobane case is accusing 108 defendants, 17 of whom are jailed, of several crimes, including the murders of 37 people and “disrupting the unity and integrity of the state.” Among the defendants are former HDP politicians charged for allegedly organizing and inciting the violence despite not being involved with carrying out violent acts.