HDP's Gergerlioğlu released after detention

Turkish police early on March 21 detained Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), who was staging a protest in the parliament.

Gergerlioğlu was released on March 21 after giving his statement to the police.

Gergerlioğlu refused to leave parliament after he was stripped of his status and immunity as a lawmaker on March 17.

The HDP said he was in pajamas and slippers when police seized him just before his morning prayers in Ankara.

Gergerlioğlu was convicted in 2018 and sentenced to two years and six months in prison for "spreading terrorist propaganda" after he retweeted a 2016 news article about a call for peace by the PKK terror group.

An appeals court confirmed the conviction, saying he was "owning" and "legitimizing" the PKK by sharing the link, which included a photograph of armed fighters.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe, and the United States.