Imprisoned Turkish politician Demirtaş: Government arrests elected representatives and politicians based on fabricated witness statements

ANKARA — During a hearing in the trial regarding his alleged role in the 2014 Kobanî protests, imprisoned Turkish politician Selahattin Demirtaş (Peoples’ Democratic Party, HDP) asserted that the Turkish government arrests elected representatives and politicians based on fabricated witness statements of two or three people. However, it does not take any legal action regarding corruption allegations and crimes against officials of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP).

Through his video testimony, Demirtaş declared that mafia leader Sedat Peker, who has routinely been releasing videos allegedly exposing corruption and criminality in the government, has taken the country hostage and that Ankara has done little to move against the mafia leader even after he exposed Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu as corrupt.

Demirtaş also indicated that the General Directorate of Security, which is under the auspices of the Soylu’s Ministry, can re-arrest thirty officials of the HDP, including himself, based on fabricated statements, while know mafia bosses like Peker remain untouched.

Peker has accused the ruling AKP involvement in drug smuggling, murder, rape, and corruption, in addition to accusations of Soylu being linked to organized crime.