Turkey: HDP deputy jailed for attending illegal protest

By Rauf Maltas</p> <p>SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) – An opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy was sentenced on Wednesday to more than one-and-a-half years in prison for violating laws on meetings and demonstrations, said judicial sources.</p> <p>A court in Turkey’s southeast Sanliurfa province found Ayse Surucu guilty of taking part in illegal demonstrations in 2016.</p> <p>Surucu was not in court but was represented by her lawyer.</p> <p>Turkey’s government accuses the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU.</p> <p>In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, it has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.</p> <p>* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur