A woman whose husband was burnt alive by Turkish state forces during military operations three years ago was jailed on trumped-up terrorism charges at the weekend.

Lutfiye Duymak was sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days of prison on charges of “assisting the organisation [the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)] intentionally and willingly, although not involved in the hierarchical structure within the organisation.

Lawyers slammed Sirnak Heavy Penal Court for the decision. They said there was a lack of evidence for the charges, which were brought on the basis of a single witness testimony and a book found at her home.

She was detained in March 2018 and released in May pending trial.

Her husband Mahmut Duymak was one of the 176 men, women and children burned alive after taking shelter in one of three basements across the city of Cizre during military operations in 2016.

Trapped for 20 days without access to food, water and medical supplies, they were forced to drink their own urine to survive. 

Instead of heeding pleas for help, Turkish security forces poured petrol into the basements and set them on fire. All the occupants were burnt alive.

The state moved quickly to cover the scene, pouring concrete into the basements and flattening the area. 

Independent organisations, NGOs and the United Nations were blocked from carrying out investigations.

Hopes of a new era in Turkey have been raisied after authoritian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s handpicked candidiate lost the recent Istanbul mayoral election rerun. 

The defeat of former prime minister Binali Yildirim led to widespread celebrations across the country. 

The victor, a previously unheard of Republican People’s Party politician called Ekrem Imamoglu, is being spoken of in some circles as a potential challenger to Mr Erdogan.

However, the jailing of Ms Duymak is a reminder of the scale of repression in Turkey, where Mr Erdogan is likely to seek to tighten his grip on the country.

The president’s opportunistic overture to Istanbul’s Kurdish population, including the relaxation of visits to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, angered much of his traditional support base.

Former prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu is believed to be on the verge of announcing a new breakaway party. 

Former economy minister Ali Babacan has been working with ex-president Abdullah Gul to form a second party that would unite opposition groups.

Ms Duymak’s lawyers have filed an appeal with Antep’s District Court of Justice in a bid to get her sentence overturned.