Attorneys Say Demirtaş in Covid-19 Risk Group, Apply for His Release

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Attorneys of Selahattin Demirtaş, the former co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) who has been in prison since November 2016, applied for his release, stating that he is in the risk group of the Covid-19 disease.

Demirtaş, who is currently at the Edirne Type-F Closed Prison, has hypertension and respiratory and heart diseases, the attorneys noted in a written statement.

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The statement noted that 63 percent of the people who died from coronavirus and 69 percent of those in intensive care had hypertension, citing a statement by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on April 1.

"Our client Selahattin Demirtaş has been diagnosed with hypertension at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. Demirtaş, who previously had surgery due to respiratory and heart diseases, continues having these diseases and uses various medications. Therefore, Demirtaş is in the vital risk group that was stated by Minister Koca," the lawyers noted.

The statement further said that an application for Demirtaş's release was filed yesterday (April 2) and noted that Demirtaş was not even a suspect in the case file for which he was remanded in custody. (TP/VK)