Turkey: Opposition member charged for terror propaganda

VAN, Turkey

A member of a Turkish opposition party on Tuesday was charged with spreading terrorist propaganda and trying to harm the republic and its institutions, a judicial source said.

Sezai Temelli, a co-chairman of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), was charged over his statements at a meeting in the eastern Van province last December, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Turkish authorities have accused the HDP of being a front group for the terrorist PKK.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.

Reporting by Cemal Arslan:Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur