European Court of Human Rights demands Turkey immediately releases Selahattin Demirtaş
STRASBOURG, France – The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday called on Turkey to immediately release Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) politician Selahattin Demirtaş, saying that the justification for his years of detention was a cover for reducing pluralism and democratic debate. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights strongly condemned Turkey’s conduct in dealing with the case of Selahattin Demirtaş demanding his “immediate release.”
Demirtaş has been imprisoned in Turkey since November 2016. In its statement, the Court stressed that Demirtaş’s rights to express opinion, freedom and other rights had been violated.
Ankara accuses Demirtaş of terrorism and the HDP politician faces up to 142 years in prison if convicted.