Imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş and Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the UK Labour Party, have exchanged messages of solidarity ahead of the July 4 elections in the UK.
Corbyn on Wednesday revealed Demirtaş’s handwritten message to him on social media, which read, "Dear Jeremy, For the elections on the 4th of July, I wish you all the success and I believe that our friends in England will support you with all their strength. With the hope to meet in times of freedom.”
The British politician will run as an independent candidate in the upcoming general elections.
In response, Corbyn wrote, "Thank you to Selahattin Demirtaş for your letter of support, written from the Turkish prison where you remain unjustly detained. The struggle for freedom, peace & justice in Turkey — and around the globe — must prevail.”
Demirtaş, former co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been in prison on multiple charges related to “terror” crimes, which many international observers and human rights organizations have criticized as politically motivated. Turkish authorities have defied a ruling by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ordering his release.
Thank you to Selahattin Demirtaş @hdpdemirtas for your letter of support, written from the Turkish prison where you remain unjustly detained.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 19, 2024
The struggle for freedom, peace & justice in Turkey — and around the globe — must prevail.
Join our campaign: https://t.co/lUBjwNGyLX pic.twitter.com/A3Xzisqyou
(EMK/VK)
