Fact: Former pro-Kurdish party leader Selahattin Demirtas was sentenced to more than 40 years in jail for instigating protests in 2014 triggered by an Islamic State attack on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.
Turkish court sentenced Selahattin Demirtas to over 20 years in prison for inciting 2014 protests following an Islamic State attack on Kobani. The verdict may escalate political tensions surrounding Demirtas’ pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party.
A man was convicted of involuntary arson for his role in Greece’s deadliest wildfire in memory, and five former fire officials were found guilty of misdemeanours linked to their response to the 2018 blaze.
Fact: Holding cells in police stations should be abolished, according to trade union Isotita’s police branch chairman Nikos Loizidis.
Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill to overhaul the armed forces draft process, aiming to increase troop numbers due to Russian forces outnumbering Kyiv’s troops by up to ten times in the east. General Yuriy Sodol expressed the urgent need for more manpower. The bill, which did not include harsh penalties for draft dodging, still needs to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to become law. The legislation allows for better tracking of potential recruits and removes proposed penalties for draft evasion. Despite the changes, Deputy Commander Maksym Zhorin cautioned that the law will not work miracles on the battlefield.
Ukrainian lawmakers approved a bill allowing convicts to serve in the military to replenish troops exhausted from the war with Russia. Those convicted of serious crimes would not be eligible. Another bill imposing fines for failing to follow mobilisation rules was also passed. The number of additional military personnel that could join if the bills become law is unclear. Lawmakers are working to prevent corruption in the convicts bill. The final readings of the bills are still pending, with a vote expected soon. Ukraine’s parliament is also amending the army mobilisation process to increase its capability to call up new servicemen due to a lack of volunteers and draft evasion during the ongoing war.