[1] Önlü is a Kurdish politician of the Alevi faith[2] and has been active in several political parties.
[1] He was active in the Istanbul branch for the HADEP and the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) in Tunceli.
[1] In a separate case, he was sentenced to one year and six months imprisonment for spreading propaganda for the PKK on terror related charges in February 2019.
[9] On the 17 March 2021, the State Prosecutor before the Court of Cassation of Turkey Bekir Şahin filed a lawsuit before the Constitutional Court demanding for Önlü and 686 other HDP politicians a five-year ban to engage in politics.
[10] The lawsuit was filed jointly with a request for a closure of the HDP due to the parties alleged organizational links with the PKK.