Prison Sentences of Demirtaş and Önder Upheld

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While the judgement of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which ruled that Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) former Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş shall be released, has not been put into effect, the prison sentence of 4 months and 8 months given to him in another lawsuit has been upheld by the 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice.

With his prison sentence being upheld by the court of appeal, Demirtaş has now been in prison not as an arrestee but as a convict.

Sırrı Süreyya Önder was also sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison in the same lawsuit. The prison sentence of Önder will also be executed.

Was it the "counter-move"?

In the lawsuit, where he was tried along with former HDP MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder, Selahattin Demirtaş was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison on charge of "propagandizing for a terrorist organization" at the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court on September 7, 2018.

On November 16, the ECtHR announced that it would pronounce its judgement on Demirtaş on November 20.

On November 19, the 2nd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice, the court of appeal, took the verdict of prison sentence which was given by the İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court into preliminary examination.

On November 20, the ECtHR ruled that all necessary measures shall be adopted to put an end to the pre-trial detention of Demirtaş, adding that his pre-trial detention "pursued the predominant ulterior purpose of stifling pluralism and limiting the freedom of political debate".

On the same day, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The judgements of the ECtHR are not binding for us. We will make our counter-move and close the deal." (AS/SD)