EP Rapporteur Kati Piri: Demirtaş Should be Released for Fair Election

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The European Parliament (EP) Turkey Rapporteur Kati Piri has posted a message on Facebook with the hashtag #FreeDemirtas.

Kati Piri has stated that the imprisoned Presidential candidate of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş should be released from prison so that the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on June 24 can be fair.

Piri has also referred to the previous calls made by the Presidential candidate of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) Muharrem İnce as well as the Chair and Presidential candidate of the İYİ Party Meral Akşener for the release of Demirtaş.

Emphasizing that Demirtaş is forced to conduct his election campaign from prison, Kati Piri has repeated the call for his release and said, "It is only then a fair election campaign can be run."

"All democrats should support it"

In her message posted on Facebook, Kati Piri has said that pressures on fundamental rights and freedoms have increased further after the declaration of the State of Emergency and added that the demand for Demirtaş's release should be supported by all democrats.

Kati Piri, the Turkey Rapporteur of the EP, has been severely criticizing the imprisonment of MPs and journalists in Turkey and argues that Turkey cannot have full membership of the European Union (EU) under these conditions. (PT/SD)