TURKEY: CHP leader Özgür Özel visits Selahattin Demirtaş in prison

EDIRNE, Turkey — In a three-hour visit on Monday, Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the since outlawed Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP), reorganized as the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party currently imprisoned in Edirne, met with Özgür Özel, head of the opposition Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, CHP). Following the meeting, Özel stated that they discussed an agreement regarding the parliament, adding that any visit to the predominantly Kurdish cities of southeastern Turkey would be incomplete without visiting Demirtaş.

Demirtaş highlighted that their discussion centered on Turkey’s ongoing social and economic crises, as well as ways to strengthen democracy, social justice, and national stability. He emphasized that respecting human rights and upholding the rule of law must be a priority for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan if peace and stability are to be achieved in the country. He also called for the release of detainees implicated in the Kobani and Gezi Park cases.

Demirtas has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2016 following the removal of parliamentary immunity from over 55 members of HDP. In 2020, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ordered his release, stating that the justification for his years of detention was a cover for reducing pluralism and democratic debate. Turkey has refused to comply with the order for his release.

In related news, Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli welcomed HDP deputies and initiated discussions aimed at national reforms. Bahçeli extended an invitation to imprisoned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan, suggesting that Öcalan should address the parliament and declare an end to terrorism, which could potentially lead to his conditional release. Bahçeli also stressed the importance of removing the Kurdish issue from Turkey’s political agenda altogether.