Cengiz Çiçek

Cengiz Çiçek (born 1978 Tunceli, Turkey) is a lawyer and politician of the Green Left Party (YSP). Since June 2023, he is a member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Early life and education

Cengiz Çiçek was born in Tunceli in 1978 into an Alevi-Kurdish family. In 1985 the family moved to Izmir where he attended school.[1] Later he studied law at the Marmara University in Istanbul.[1]

Professional career

In 2009, at the time when Abdullah Öcalans detention conditions were alleviated, he was his attorney.[2] In 2011 he was arrested together with 45 other lawyers, who represented Öcalan.[3] In March 2014 he was released with nine other lawyers who were investigated of representing Öcalan and activities concerning the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).[4]

Political career

Cengiz Çiçek began his political career with the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) and was also the co-speaker of the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK).[1] In 2018, when he was the co-chair of Istanbul branch of the HDP, he was arrested for six days over terror related charges.[5] In the parliamentary elections of May 2023, he was elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey representing Istanbul for the (YSP).[6]

Political positions

Çiçek is against the closure of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), calling it a judicial sabotage that the HDP had to take part in the elections under the umbrella of the YSP,[7] and supports the Saturday Mothers, a Turkish human rights organization.[8][9]

References

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