US expresses concern over Turkish sentencing of Kurdish politicians

ANKARA / WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US State Department voiced its concerns regarding the Turkish judicial sentencing of Kurdish politicians from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP).

“We are very concerned and are closely following the developments of this issue, which has been ongoing for 10 years,” stated a US State Department spokesperson.

The US reiterated its full support for freedom of expression in Turkey and condemned all forms of violations against freedom of opinion.

This statement comes a week after a Turkish court sentenced Kurdish politicians to prison terms ranging from 9 to 42 years for their participation in and calls for demonstrations supporting Kobani, which was under siege by the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.

Among the sentenced politicians were former HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ.

The demonstrations had resulted in clashes between protestors and Turkish police, who responded with violence, leading to the deaths of 52 people.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) condemned the Turkish court’s decision, deeming it invalid and unfair, and accusing it of aiming to silence Kurdish political voices.