ECtHR: Turkey Obliged to Abide by Judgement; Erdoğan: It is No Concern of Ours

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Politicians have commented on the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which has ruled that all necessary measures shall be taken to put an end to the pre-trial detention of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş.

A campaign has also been launched on social media under the hashtag #AİHMKararınaUyulsun (Abide by the Judgement of the ECtHR).

CLICK - ECtHR: Selahattin Demirtaş Should Be Released

Posting a tweet on her official Twitter account, European Parliament Rapporteur to Turkey Kati Piri has said, "A clear verdict by the European Court of Human Rights: Demirtas must be released immediately. His detention is of a political, not a criminal nature. #FreeDemirtaş"

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has stated, "The judgements of the ECtHR are no concern of ours. All of the judgements relating to the organization have been against (Turkey). We will make our counter-move and close the deal. Teror is continuing," which also implies that the court's judgements are not binding for Turkey.

Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül has also said, "Let us see the judgement first. The judicial authority hearing the case will give a judgement."

The attorneys of Demirtaş, who has been behind bars in the Edirne Type F Prison since November 4, 2016, will apply to the court, requesting that Demirtaş be released from prison based on the judgement of the ECtHR.

"It could set a precedent for other arrested MPs"

Co-Chair of the HDP Pervin Buldan stated on Twitter, "Each and every moment, when Demirtaş and our MPs are arrested, means unlawfulness. The ECtHR has said the last word."

HDP İstanbul MP Garo Paylan has also said, "With today's judgement, the ECtHR has ruled that the rights of Selahattin Demirtaş have been repeatedly encroached upon. The political coup dated November 4, 2016 has been sentenced. Release Selahattin Demirtaş immediately!"

Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has also stated that the judgement could set a precedent for other arrested MPs.

ECtHR: If Turkey does not abide by the judgement, it will be a breach of the convention

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) pronounced its judgement on Peoples' Democratic Party's (HDP) former imprisoned Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş today (November 20).

The ECtHR has ruled that all necessary measures shall be adopted to put an end to the pre-trial detention of Demirtaş, who has been behind bars in the Edirne Type F Prison for 2 years. The court has also sentenced Turkey to pay 25 thousand Euro in total in pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages.

Speaking to bianet about the judgement of the court, Benan Molu and Ramazan Demir, attorneys of Selahattin Demirtaş, have stated, "This being the case, Demirtaş should be released immediately."

In its judgement, the ECtHR has also emphasized that "any continuation of the applicant's pre-trial detention" will entail a prolongation of the stated violations and "a breach of the obligations on Turkey to abide by the Court's judgment in accordance with Article 46 § 1 of the Convention." (AS/SD)