World
21:30, 29-Jun-2018
Turkey arrests former opposition lawmaker on terrorism charges
Updated
20:58, 02-Jul-2018
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A Turkish court ordered a main opposition party politician to be jailed pending trial on Friday on charges including aiding a terrorist organization, a court document showed.
The move came a few days after Eren Erdem lost his seat in parliament in the June 24 elections.
Istanbul prosecutors are seeking a jail sentence of up to 22 years for Erdem, from the Republican People's Party (CHP). He is accused of publishing illegal wiretappings when he was the editor of an opposition newspaper in 2014.
Erdem had already been barred from leaving Turkey due to the investigation and a hearing was set for September, but prosecutors sought his immediate arrest, saying he was a flight risk.
He is the second CHP politician to be jailed after Enis Berberoglu, who was detained following a government purge in the aftermath of an attempted military coup in July 2016.
Erdem is charged with assisting the followers of Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of orchestrating the failed 2016 putsch. Gulen denies any connection with it.
Source(s): Reuters