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2h ago

Erdogan Ally Bahceli Backs Demirtas’s Release After Turkey Loses Final ECHR Appeal

Bahceli’s rare endorsement signals new pressure on Ankara following the European rights court’s definitive ruling.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), attends Century of Turkey meeting in Ankara, Turkey, October 28, 2022. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Image
Demirtash, seen here in 2016, was co-leader of the pro-Kurdish HDP, which has become DEM

Overview

  • Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli told reporters that freeing Selahattin Demirtas "would be beneficial for Turkey."
  • Turkey’s last appeal in the European Court of Human Rights case was rejected on Monday, leaving the ruling that Demirtas’s rights were violated in force.
  • Demirtas, the former HDP leader, has been jailed since 2016 and was later convicted over the 2014 protests and for insulting President Erdogan, which he denies.
  • Erdogan’s government has previously resisted ECHR calls for Demirtas’s immediate release, creating uncertainty over next steps despite the court’s decision.
  • The pro-Kurdish DEM Party remains parliament’s third-largest bloc and has faced a sweeping crackdown, while the PKK’s decision to disarm has opened a tentative political window.