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.
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]
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]
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]
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]
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.
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]
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]
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]
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]