Detention of Selahattin Demirtaş to Continue

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The third hearing of Selahattin Demirtaş, the imprisoned former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), and pending trial in jail, was held at the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court today (July 18).

Demirtaş did not attend the hearing on the ground that he was a presidential candidate of the HDP at the June 24 elections and could not prepare his statement of defense.

His attorneys requested that Demirtaş be released. The Prosecutor's Office demanded that his detention continue.

The court board ruled for the continuation of the detention of Demirtaş, who has been behind bars since November 4, 2016. The next hearing will be held on August 28-29.

It was on February 14, 2018 that Selahattin Demirtaş stood trial for the first time in this case.

The case consists of summaries of proceedings

Demirtaş has been tried on charges of "founding and managing a terrorist organization", "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" and "praising the crime and the criminal." The case, which was filed in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakır, was moved to the Ankara 19th Heavy Penal Court for reasons of security.

The case consists of the total of 31 summaries of proceedings, which were previously prepared for Selahattin Demirtaş and sent to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey so that he would be relieved of his MP duties. (BK/SD)