Ankara: Turkey’s main opposition parties have intensified their demand for the release of Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, who has now spent nine years in prison. The call comes after a binding ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on his unlawful imprisonment.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Demirtas, now 52, was a leading figure in Turkey’s Kurdish movement before his arrest on November 4, 2016, on charges linked to terrorism. Despite his incarceration, Demirtas remains a key advocate for the Kurdish minority’s rights, gaining support from Western governments who regard him as a political prisoner. Last year, he received a 42-year sentence for his alleged involvement in protests related to the Syrian town of Kobane. He faces additional charges, including terrorism-related offences and insulting the president.
The ECHR has consistently called for Demirtas’s release, labeling his arrest and trial as unfair in several rulings that Ankara has disregarded. The court’s latest definitive ruling confirmed the violation of his rights and ordered his release. In response, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DEM) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) have both demanded his immediate release, highlighting the ECHR’s decisions. CHP MP Sezgin Tanrikulu emphasized the finality of the ECHR ruling, urging for its immediate implementation.
Demirtas’s legal team has filed for his release, with lawyer Mahsuni Karaman stating that the appeals chamber has the option to either release him or reassess the case. Additionally, Devlet Bahceli, leader of the nationalist MHP party and an ally of President Erdogan, has expressed support for Demirtas’s release, suggesting it would be a positive development for Turkey.