Terror charges: Turkish court jails 10 Kurdish politicians for 177 years
Shafaq News – Ankara
A court in eastern Turkiye has sentenced ten Kurdish politicians to a total of 177 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, a verdict swiftly condemned by Kurdish leaders as politically driven.
The First High Criminal Court in Agri issued sentences ranging from six to 44 years, following an investigation launched in 2015, with charges including “membership in a terrorist organization,” “aiding terrorism,” “propaganda,” and “incitement to violence,” according to opposition outlet Zaman.
Shakir Kilic, a municipal councilor from the pro-Kurdish Equality and Democracy Party, received the longest sentence—44 years—while other defendants, including Engin Dursun, Vejin Aslan, Ramazan Bayram, and Mehmet Izgi, were sentenced to terms between six and 24 years.
Four defendants were reportedly detained in court, others had warrants issued, and three were released pending appeal.
The ruling sparked immediate protests outside the courthouse, where supporters of Kurdish parties denounced the sentences as an attack on political dissent.
In a related case, the same court sentenced DEM Party lawmaker Berdan Ozturk to six years and four months—four years and six months for allegedly aiding a terrorist group, and one year and ten months for propaganda—based on a 2016 investigation.
These verdicts mark another chapter in Ankara’s crackdown on the Kurdish political movement, frequently tied by the state to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Following the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish authorities launched mass purges targeting pro-Kurdish lawmakers and officials, including former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag.
In May 2024, Demirtas was sentenced to 42 years and Yuksekdag to 30 years over their alleged involvement in the 2014 Kobani protests, drawing strong rebukes from international rights groups.
The practice of judicial targeting traces back to the 1990s, when pro-Kurdish Democracy Party MPs—including Leyla Zana—were jailed after being stripped of immunity.
Veteran Kurdish politician Sirri Sakik condemned the Agri verdicts on X, calling them “a blow to democratic politics.” He stressed that none of the defendants had promoted violence, labeling the sentences “punishment for peaceful activism.”
Ağrı’nın, Patnos’un gençleri Bursa’da, Ankara’da, İstanbul’da, İzmir’de inşaatlarda, tünellerde, madenlerde ölüyor. İki kuzeni daha iki hafta önce toprağa verdik. Bugün Bursa’da yine iki Patnoslu kardeş İbrahim ve Mehmet Uysal göçük altında can verdi. Bu düzende emekçinin canı… https://t.co/DrJnzToE1z
— sırrısakık (@sakiksirri) October 19, 2025
