Dilek Öcalan

Kurdish politician in Turkey

Dilek Öcalan

Dilek Öcalan

Member of the Grand National Assembly
In office
7 June 2015 – 2018
Constituency| Şanlıurfa (June 2015, Nov 2015)
Personal details
Born|  (1987-10-03) 3 October 1987 (age 37)
Halfeti, Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Citizenship| Turkey
Nationality| Kurdish
Political party| Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)
Other political
affiliations| Democratic Regions Party (DBP)
Relatives| Abdullah Öcalan (uncle)
Osman Öcalan (uncle)
Ömer Öcalan (cousin)
Occupation| Politician

Dilek Öcalan (born 3 October 1987)[1] is a Kurdish politician of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who served as a Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Şanlıurfa, Turkey, from 2015 to 2018. She is the niece of Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant organisation that has been in conflict with the Turkish Armed Forces since the 1980s, making both her candidacy and election to the Grand National Assembly controversial.

## Early life

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Öcalan was born on 3 October 1987 in Halfeti, Sanlıurfa, as daughter of Fatma Öcalan, the sister of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. She has a tourism degree from university.[2] On 23 December 2013, she visited her uncle at İmralı prison and became known to the media after she gave a press statement detailing the conversation between them.[3] Öcalan has been imprisoned since 1999, serving a sentence of aggravated life imprisonment under charges of founding and leading Kurdistan Workers' Party

## Political career

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Öcalan first entered politics in 2012, a year before meeting her uncle on the Island of İmralı. During the third congress of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), she was elected to the party executive while the party changed its name to Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and adopted a fraternal relationship with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).[4]

### Member of Parliament

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Öcalan's candidacy to become a Member of Parliament despite being the niece of Abdullah Öcalan was heavily controversial, drawing strong opposition from Turkish nationalists.[5] Her candidacy also allegedly caused a split within the Öcalan family.[6][7] Nevertheless, she was put forward as a HDP candidate for the electoral district of Şanlıurfa, being fielded as the second candidate on the HDP's provincial party list. She was subsequently elected in the June 2015 general election to become one of the youngest MPs in the new Parliament, resulting in her being appointed to the temporary Speaker's Council until a new Council could be elected in July.[8] In the snap elections in November 2015 Öcalan was reelected as an MP.[9]

## Prosecution

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On 1 February 2017 an arrest warrant was issued for Öcalan.[10] She was detained on 7 February, and released the same day,[11] after which she left Turkey and went into exile.[12] On 1 March 2018 she was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for spreading terror propaganda during a speech she held at a funeral.[13]

## See also

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* Kurdish nationalism

## References

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1. ^ "HDP MP Dilek Öcalan Sentenced to 2 Years, 6 Months in Prison". Bianet. Archived from the original on 2021-03-14. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
2. ^ "Dilek Öcalan, niece of jailed Kurdish leader, enters Turkish parliament". The Guardian. Reuters. 2015-06-24. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
3. ^ sitesi, milliyet.com.tr Türkiye'nin lider haber. "Dilek Öcalan kimdir?". Retrieved 16 March 2018.
4. ^ "Dilek Öcalan Kimdir ? - Dilek Öcalan Hayatı ve Biyografisi". www.haberler.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
5. ^ "HDP'den MHP'ye Dilek Öcalan tepkisi". Radikal. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
6. ^ "Öcalan ailesi birbirine düştü". Cumhurriyet. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
7. ^ "Mehmet Öcalan'dan yeğeninin adaylığına tepki". Hurriyet. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
8. ^ "Mecliste Başkanlık Divanı'nda görev yapacak Dilek Öcalan kimdir? Haberi, haberleri". Archived from the original on 2015-06-25. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
9. ^ "1 Kasım 2015 Şanlıurfa Genel Seçim Sonuçları". www.haberturk.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
10. ^ SCF (2017-02-01). "Detention warrant issued for HDP deputy Öcalan". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
11. ^ "Şanlıurfa court sentences HDP deputy Dilek Öcalan to two years, six months in prison - Turkey News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
12. ^ "Pressekonferenz mit Dilek Öcalan im Europaparlament". ANF News (in German). Retrieved 2020-03-10.
13. ^ SCF (2018-03-01). "Turkish court sentences pro-Kurdish HDP deputy Öcalan to 2.5 years for terror propaganda". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Retrieved 2019-01-29.

## External links

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* MP profile on the Grand National Assembly website
* Collection of all relevant news items at Haberler.com