ERBIL — A Kurdish lawmaker from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison by a Turkish court.
MP Kemal Bulbul was convicted on Thursday by the 4th Heavy Penal Court in southeastern Diyarbakir province for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a “terrorist organization” by Ankara.
MP Bulbul was not present during the last session of the trial, but the ruling is sent to the parliament now to take formal procedures and lift his parliamentary immunity before being taken to prison.
The Turkish parliament is expected to soon respond to the ruling.