Who is Van Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Abdullah Zeydan? How old is he and where is he from? Why was he sentenced to prison?

Van Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Abdullah Zeydan has been sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison in a retrial following the Supreme Court of Appeals' reversal of a 5-year prison sentence previously handed down by the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court for the crime of "aiding an armed terrorist organization without being a member." While the defendant, Abdullah Zeydan, who is being tried without arrest, did not attend the hearing at the Diyarbakır 5th High Criminal Court, his lawyer was present.

WHY WAS ABDULLAH ZEYDAN SENTENCED?

In his final opinion on the merits, the public prosecutor requested that Zeydan be punished. Zeydan's lawyer requested time to prepare a defense on the merits and also filed a motion for the recusal of the judge. Rejecting the requests, the court decided to sentence Zeydan to 3 years and 9 months in prison for the crime of 'attempting to knowingly and willingly aid an armed terrorist organization.'

WHO IS ABDULLAH ZEYDAN?

Abdullah Zeydan was born on March 13, 1972, in the Yüksekova district of Hakkari. Having completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Yüksekova, Zeydan graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the American University of Cyprus.

Zeydan, who worked as an architect at various companies, served as an HDP deputy for Hakkari.

Along with other HDP deputies, he was detained on November 4, 2016, and arrested on the same day, after which he was sent to the Edirne F-Type Closed Prison.

In January 2018, he was sentenced to 8 years, 1 month, and 15 days in prison for the crimes of "aiding a terrorist organization" and "making propaganda for a terrorist organization."

In November 2019, the court decided to release him. However, the Diyarbakır prosecutor objected to this decision on the same day, and the court subsequently re-evaluated the case and decided that his detention should continue.

Supreme Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor Bekir Şahin filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court on March 17, 2021, demanding a five-year political ban for Zeydan and 686 other HDP politicians. Zeydan was released from prison on January 6, 2022, after attending a hearing held in Elâzığ.

News Source: 12punto