TURKEY’S Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) began its congress yesterday, seeking to elect new leadership following the arrest and imprisonment of the previous ones.

MPs Pervin Buldan and Sezai Temelli are expected to be elected co-leaders in place of Selahattin Demirtas, who is behind bars awaiting trial for alleged links to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and Serpil Kemalbay — who herself was elected to fill in after former co-leader Figen Yuksekdag was arrested and jailed.

A warrant for Ms Kemalbay’s arrest was issued on Friday on the grounds that she has expressed opposition to Turkey’s invasion of Syria’s Afrin canton, but she had not been arrested when the Morning Star went to press and addressed the congress.

Hundreds have been arrested in Turkey for criticising the attack on Syria’s Kurds, while seven other HDP MPs had already been jailed as part of the massive clampdown on critical voices by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following 2016’s failed coup.