Assailant released by Turkish court attacks HDP building again

Duvar English

Mehmet Beyazıt, who committed a racist attack on the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul provincial building on Feb. 21, was released by a Turkish court on Feb. 22 and painted the doors and walls of the same party building on March 25. 

In the footage provided by the party's security cameras, Beyazıt went to the front door when no one is there and spray-painted the doors and walls.

The HDP Istanbul Press Commission stated that “The person who was released by the court after the first attack is being deliberately controlled by someone. While the assailant should have been arrested, his release by the court paves the way for all possible negative outcomes and provocations.”

On Feb. 21, the same assailant wanted to attack the people in the HDP's Istanbul provincial building by saying "You are terrorists." After the attack, Istanbul Governor's Office said the assailant had a large number of criminal records on the charges of "insulting the President," "opposing the Law on Crimes Against Atatürk," "sexual harassment," "sexual assault," "threat," "insulting," "damaging property" and "damaging places of worship and cemeteries," and that he had previously received psychological treatment in a hospital.

One day after the attack, an Istanbul court released Beyazıt.

On June 17, 2021, an armed person attacked the HDP’s İzmir provincial building and killed party member Deniz Poyraz. Even though the attacker received a life-time sentence, the court dismissed any possible connection with organized groups and evaluate the murder as an individual event. 

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