Demirtaş: I’m Kept in Custody on Fabricated Evidence

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Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Chair and its presidential candidate Selahattin Demirtaş has stated on Twitter that the evidence that caused his arrest “don’t exist”.

Demirtaş applied for release to Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court via his lawyers on May 15.

Kept in Edirne Type F Prison since November 4, 2016, Demirtaş in his application expressed that “him being in custody is a violation of right to free elections”.

His application is expected to be concluded today (May 21).

The case is heard in Ankara

In total 96 summary of proceedings were prepared for Demirtaş. Demirtaş was arrested on November 4, 2016 as part of the lawsuite filed in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Then the case file has been transferred to Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court for “security purposes”.

Demirtaş is charged with “founding and managing a terrorist organization”, “propagandizing for a terrorist organization” and “praising crime and criminal”.

Besides, Doğubayazıt 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Demirtaş to 5 months in prison for “insulting the government”.

Prosecutor’s office: Anonymous witness couldn’t be found

In statements he made this morning on Twitter, Demirtaş said that he has been “kept on fabricated evidence”.

“It has been revealed that the so-called evidence that put me behind bars was all fabricated by FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization) prosecutors. But everybody still plays ostrich.

“For instance, in 2012, so-called anonymous witness called MERCEK’s statements, which were fabricated by prosecutors of the [Fethullah Gülen] Community (who are in prison now), were included in my file by this term’s prosecutors to have me arrested.

“But the truth has come to light when all MERCAK’s statements were asked by the court that tries me from Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The same prosecutor’s office which added this fake evidence to have me arrested responded ‘there is no such anonymous witness statement’”. (AS/TK)