The 17-month 15 day prison sentence issued to HDP Urfa MP Osman Baydemir for insulting a police officer during his term as the mayor of the Amed Metropolitan Municipality has been approved by the Court of Appeals. If the Prime Ministry’s official letter is read in the Parliament’s General Assembly, Baydemir’s MP status will be voided.

OFFICIALLY SETTING A PRECEDENT

MP statuses of Figen Yüksekdağ, Nursel Aydoğan, Besime Konca, Ferhat Encu and İbrahim Ayhan have already been voided due to approved prison sentences. On February 27, 2018, for the first time a crime of “insult” was cited as the reason for the voiding of Ahmet Yıldırım’s MP status. If Baydemir’s MP status is also voided for the same crime, voiding MP statuses for crimes of “insult” will officially have set a precedent.