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Turkey Starts Trial of Kurdish Politicians Over Deadly Protests

A woman holds a picture of Selahattin Demirtas during a rally in Diyarbakir, Turkey in 2018.

A woman holds a picture of Selahattin Demirtas during a rally in Diyarbakir, Turkey in 2018.

Photographer: Ilyas Akengin/AFP/Getty Images

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A Turkish court on Monday starts hearing a case against the former co-chairs of the country’s leading pro-Kurdish party, who are accused of inciting deadly protests over the government’s failure to protect Kurds facing Islamic State attacks in the Syrian border town of Kobani in 2014.

Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, both jailed since late 2016 in a separate terrorism case, are charged with encouraging the violence that killed at least 37 people. They are among 108 suspects on trial for their involvement in the protests.