Ilknur Birol, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, has been sentenced to 1 year, 6 months, and 22 days in prison by the 25th High Criminal Court of Istanbul Courthouse on charges of "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" based on her social media posts between 2015 and 2016.

After the sentence was finalized on Friday, Ilknur Birol was arrested and taken to Gebze Women's Closed Prison.

In addition to many DEM Party members, Peoples’ Democratic Congress (HDK) co-Spokesperson Cengiz Çiçek, Esengül Demir, Labor Movement Party (EHP) chair Hakan Öztürk and DEM Party Central Executive Board member Elif Bulut also came to the prison to show solidarity with Ilknur Birol.

Let's stay together 

Speaking at the prison entrance, Ilknur Birol drew attention to the obstacles to the right to expression and organization in Turkey. Birol said: "I am in front of the prison for the execution of my one year and six months sentence, based on the posts I made on social media between 20215-2016. In this climate where freedom of expression, speech and organization, is banned, I was to underline that this is something that cannot happen in a democratic country. I think some prices need to be paid in order to reach better days where this flawed, shameful and criminal regime can be eliminated and we can be more beautiful, democratic, free and equal. Goodbye to everyone for now."