Prominent journalist to run for parliament from the ranks of the HDP

Prominent Turkish journalist and writer Hasan Cemal has accepted an offer from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) to run as a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 14.

According to the T24 website, where Cemal writes regularly, he received the offer from HDP Co-Chair Pervin Buldan and decided to accept the candidacy after consulting with his wife Ayse Cemal.

Cemal is known for his critical stance toward the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In 2011, Cemal publicly clashed with Erdogan, and in 2013 he was fired from his post at the Milliyet newspaper. Since then, he has become an outspoken critic of the AKP government and its policies.

The HDP is part of the Alliance for Freedom and Labor, which wants to challenge the dominance of the AKP and its allies in the upcoming elections.

The grandson of a prominent officer of the Ottoman Empire, Hasan Cemal began his journalistic career in the 1960s and has since written extensively on Turkish politics, society, and culture. His writings often focus on human rights, democracy and minority issues in Turkey.

He has also written several books on Turkish history, including "Kurds" and "1915: The Armenian Genocide"