Demirtaş Awarded 'Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Solidarity Prize'

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Social Democracy Foundation (SODEV) has awarded the "Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Solidarity Prize" to Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).

His wife Başak Demirtaş will receive the prize in a ceremony at Taksim Hill Hotel tomorrow (January 10).

The prize committee said it considered the imprisonment of Demirtaş a "political arrest," stating that he was detained on November 2, 2016 with the state of emergency declared after the July 15 coup attempt being taken advantage of.

"The Selection Committee concluded that the stance Demirtaş has taken in favor of human rights, democracy, peace and freedoms against the systematic violation of his fundamental constitutional rights strengthens the values that are mentioned in the name of the SODEV Prize," the committee stated.

Demirtaş's "responsible and timely messages" on the issues of Turkey made "exceptional and key contribution to democracy, peace and the spirit of solidarity between different sections of the society," according to the committee.

Recalling that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled for the release of Demirtaş on November 20, 2018, the reasons that were "made up" to keep Demirtaş in prison resulted in further violations of rights, it said.

"2019 was a year in which the violations of human rights that Demirtaş was subjected to and the devastation he suffered as a result grew. Nevertheless, Demirtaş has not only preserved its responsible attitude and tone in 2019, but also strengthened it."

Independent members of the prize committee: Arzu Çerkezoğlu, Can Atalay, Eren Keskin,
İoanna Kuçuradi, Kadri Gürsel, Türkan Elçi, Zülfü Livaneli

Permanent members: SODEV Chair Ertan Aksoy, SODEV Honorary Chair Ercan Karakaş, SODEV former Chair Babür Atila, SODEV former Chair Erol Kızılelma, SODEV former Chair Aydın Cıngı.

The Progressive Alliance, a Germany-based political entity that includes more than 130 parties and organizations, gave the "2019 Award for Special Political Courage" to Demirtaş in October 2019. (RT/VK)