Demirtaş faces up to 3 years in prison over his defense at court

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Behind bars since November 4, 2016, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has been indicted over his remarks about Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman.

While Demirtaş now faces up to 3 years in prison, his attorney Mahsuni Karaman has announced that the lawsuit has been filed due to the below remarks that he uttered during his defense at court on January 7-8, 2020:

"Who conducts the operation against me is Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. By organizing the second arrest itself... I know all the details about how I was arrested for the second time. Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel and his deputy... We have filed a criminal complaint against them.

"There is a God greater than the palace that you trust, Yüksel Kocaman, the wheel is turning. The people are here. When the [ballot] boxes are set up, you will be sadly disappointed. You will answer for this all before justice."

An investigation was launched against Selahattin Demirtaş over these remarks on May 29, 2020.

'He was at palace yesterday, filed a suit today'

Demirtaş's attorney Mahsuni Karaman has spoken to Halk TV about the lawsuit. "Demirtaş said that the entire unlawful process against him was going on through Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman. They must be disturbed by this," Karaman has said.

"Lawsuits are filed against Demirtaş over what he did and said. Now, he faces a lawsuit against his defense. Yet another lawsuit will be filed against the defense that he will make in this trial. A lawsuit was also filed against his statement in 2016," he has added.

"They are trying to make people get used to this. He showed up at the Palace yesterday and filed the indictment today."

High state officials were his marriage witnesses

Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Yüksel Kocaman got married on September 19. As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), his marriage witnesses were as follows:

Court of Cassation President Mehmet Akarca, Council of State President Zeki Yiğit, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk, Chief of General Staff Yaşar Güler, Supreme Election Council (YSK) Chair Muharrem Akkaya, Board of Judges and Prosecutors 1st Chamber Chair Halil Koç, Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) Chair Metin Feyzioğlu, Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Chair Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.

One day after his marriage ceremony, Kocaman visited ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

He met Erdoğan following the ECtHR ruling

As reported by Alican Uludağ from daily Cumhuriyet, after the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Demirtaş should be released on November 20, 2018, prosecutor Kocaman met President Erdoğan.

Erdoğan commented on the ECtHR ruling as follows: "ECtHR rulings are not binding for us. All of the judgements relating to the organization have been against us. We will make our counter-move and close the deal."

On December 4, 2018, when the ECtHR ruling of release had not yet been implemented, the 4 years, 8 months prison sentence of Demirtaş in another lawsuit was upheld and he could not be released.

Demirtaş invited him to 'barbecue party'

As reported by Derya Okatan from the Artı Gerçek news website on January 7, 2020, Demirtaş said in a hearing that Kocaman was the prosecutor of Pınarhisar Prison, where Erdoğan served some time behind bars, and they threw barbecue parties together:

"If Mr. Prosecutor is available, I am sending him a message. He can come over to us as well. Let's have a barbecue party here. If he treats everyone the same, let's have a barbecue party, speak and discuss." (EKN/SD)