Since almost three years ago, Selahattin Demirtas is already sitting in a Turkish prison. Now, the European court of human rights decide again about his case. A look at a man who keeps Ankara in respiratory.
Good face on a bad game: Selahattin Demirtas in the high security prison of Edirne
Many observers were, in your judgment, agreed: “hope”, “shooting star”, even “the Kurdish Obama”. Selahattin Demirtas were superlatives and praise in the headlines, for sure, as he applied in 2014 for the post of President in Turkey. The human rights lawyer looked at first glance like a poster Boy for democracy: at the time, 41 years of age, he was by far the youngest of the candidates, he brought momentum to the political debate. He was eloquent, charismatic, gave performances in the television, even his singing skills to the Best and impressed with his ability to play the “Turkish guitar” (“saz”). An attractive wife and two cute daughters that were fully positive Image of the emerging political Newcomers.
Rapid Rise
Demirtas was in the field the candidate has no Chance. And he took advantage of you. Although his party, the democratic party of the peoples (HDP), was just a few months old, he took as a candidate, an impressive ten percentage points. The success is no flash in the pan. The final breakthrough came a year later in the parliamentary elections. The HDP took 13 percent, it was a Sensation.
Image from happy days: Demirtas and the HDP Co-Chairman Yüksekdag celebrate their electoral success in June 2015
Demirtas, born in humble circumstances in Palu, a small city in the East of the country, something had to be done, what seemed to him scarcely possible: From a representation of the interests of the Kurds, he has shaped the HDP to a collection basin a liberal, Erdogan critic, and arch-conservative Kurds in the Southeast of Turkey. For the first time, it was managed to a Kurdish party in the Parliament elections, to skip the vesting clause of ten percent.
The success was also possible because Demirtas was made in the election campaign, the Gezi Park sent protests to their Advantage. The wave of protests had begun in may 2013 in Istanbul’s city centre, with demonstrations against a planned construction project on the site of Gezi Park. Also, due to excessive police violence, the protest movement against the authoritarian perceived policy of Islam expanded and the conservative ruling party, the justice and development party (AKP),. In the episode, she was a Symbol of civil resistance against the system of government has grown. “They cut down trees, the shade of which they could not sell. They have closed cinemas, Central places vacated. What happened to our city? Everywhere you look there are more!”, it was in Demirtas election campaign song.
Water cannon against protesters: police violence during the Gezi Park protests had shaken many people
Coup attempt, and close to the PKK
So rapid is the rise, so cracking the case is came. On 4. November 2016 was ripped Demirtas, the Turkish police and of the security forces and taken away. Since then, he is in custody. More than a year after his detention, then the next shock: The Turkish public Prosecutor issued a 600-page indictment at the start of the main process. “Leadership of a terrorist organization”, “terrorist propaganda”, “sedition” were the serious allegations. The Prosecutor demanded that 142 years in prison.
Similar as in the case of his success, the reasons for his arrest in the Turkish internal policy are to be found. Since the coup attempt by elements of the military in the summer of 2016, there had been in Turkey, thousands of processes. That even a personality such as Selahattin Demirtas – a man who had become like no other politician a threat to Recep Tayyip Erdogan – would be arrested, appeared in front of this Background, almost as a logical consequence.
Add to this: allegations like the one against Demirtas are against Kurdish politicians in Turkey are not new. The proximity of the HDP on the Kurdish workers ‘ party (PKK) is undisputed. In the past 40 years, died in Fighting between the Kurdish underground organization and the Turkish military more than 40,000 people. The PKK is classified, among other things, in Turkey and Germany as a terrorist organization. The HDP is speaking against violence, has distanced itself but until today never completely of the PKK. There are photos of Kurdish members of Parliament, also of Selahattin Demirtaş, as you pose next to PKK fighters. In addition, many Kurdish politicians worship to Abdullah Öcalan, the founder of the PKK as public enemy no. 1.
As here, on a Demo in Cologne, many of the Kurds Abdullah Öcalan worship. A close proximity to him also denies Demirtas
Little hope of a speedy acquittal
The Turkish Prosecutor’s office has brought several proceedings against Demirtas. The results are quite different. While an appeals court in Istanbul confirmed in December 2018, a term of imprisonment of four years and eight months for terror propaganda, had arranged a court in Ankara in the beginning of September 2019, with his release. A judge’s decision also coincides with a ruling by the European court of human rights (ECtHR). The judges in Strasbourg had already ruled in November 2018, and that the long detention was not justified and the release of Demirtas arranged.
Due to the condemnation of the Istanbul court, even the lawyers Demirtas not expect, however, that he comes out of jail soon free. This Wednesday, the Strasbourg judges back together again. Whether another verdict leads to the benefit of the Kurdish politician to an early release, is doubtful. Although Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe needs to implement judgments of the ECtHR actually. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, has emphasized repeatedly that he did not feel bound to the judgments.