Arrest of Demirtaş to Continue

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The Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court has ruled that the arrest of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş shall continue.

The interim judgement announced yesterday (December 14) was given by a majority vote. The member judge, who previously voted in favor of Demirtaş's release from prison, voted again in favor of his release.

The request for recusation raised by Demirtaş was also rejected. In response to the rejection of the court board, Demirtaş stated that his request had to be evaluated by the upper court, adding that he would not present his statement of defense until this problem is resolved.

The next hearing of Demirtaş will be held on January 23-24-25, 2019.

The verdict of release pronounced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on November 20, 2018 was rejected by the court, shortly thereafter the 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice upheld the prison sentence of 4 years, 8 months given to him in another lawsuit.

Demirtaş is currently being held in the Edirne Type F Prison as a convict. The case heard by the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court consists of the 32 summaries of proceedings previously sent to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) so that he would be relieved of his MP duties.

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(AS/SD)