Türkiye’s Opposition Calls for Demirtas’s Release After Binding European Court Ruling

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a unified and forceful chorus that has placed Türkiye's judicial and political systems under a renewed and intense spotlight, the country's main opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of the long-imprisoned Kurdish leader, Selahattin Demirtas, as he marked a grim and poignant anniversary: nine years behind bars. 

The call for his freedom, amplified by a final and definitive ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), has reignited a fierce debate over the rule of law, political imprisonment, and the fate of one of the most charismatic and influential figures in modern Turkish politics.

The dramatic convergence of the anniversary of his arrest and the binding international court ruling has created a powerful moment of reckoning for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government, with the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and the main opposition CHP party finding common cause in their demand for justice.

In a surprising and potentially pivotal development, even a key nationalist ally of the President has signaled support for Demirtas's release, raising hopes among his supporters that a breakthrough in his long and controversial legal saga may finally be at hand.

Selahattin Demirtas, now 52, was a rising star and a formidable political force at the height of his career.

As the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the predecessor to the current DEM Party, he was a once-prominent and highly charismatic leader who had successfully broadened his party's appeal beyond its traditional Kurdish base.

His political ascent was abruptly halted on November 4, 2016, when he was arrested and jailed on suspicion of a host of "terror-related" offences.

Even after nine years of imprisonment, Demirtas continues to command a fierce and unwavering loyalty, a testament to his enduring status as an icon of the Kurdish movement and a powerful voice for the rights of Türkiye's largest ethnic minority. 

His case has become a major point of friction between Türkiye and its Western allies, with many Western governments viewing him as a political prisoner, jailed primarily for his success in briefly breaking President Erdoğan's long-standing grip on a parliamentary majority.

The legal case against him is complex and multi-layered. Last year, he was handed a staggering 42-year prison sentence for his alleged role in the deadly 2014 protests that erupted across Türkiye's Kurdish-majority southeast. The protests were triggered by public anger over the Turkish government's perceived inaction as Islamic State group jihadists overran the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, just across the border. 

In addition to this conviction, he has been charged with a range of other crimes, including terrorism-related offences for his alleged support of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and the frequently used charge of "insulting the president."

Throughout his long imprisonment, the European Court of Human Rights has been a consistent and powerful critic of the Turkish state's handling of his case.

As reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Strasbourg-based court has repeatedly demanded his release, denouncing his arrest and trial as unfair and unlawful in a string of rulings that have been consistently ignored by Ankara.

On Monday night, the court issued its final, definitive ruling on the matter, confirming once again that his rights had been violated and unequivocally ordering his release.

This final and binding ruling immediately galvanized Türkiye's opposition. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which is now the third largest party in the Turkish parliament, issued a swift and forceful demand. 

"Accounting for the numerous ECHR decisions so far and its latest final decision, our friends should be released immediately," the party said in a statement. The call also included his former co-chair, Figen Yuksekdag, 53, who is also serving a decades-long sentence on charges of terrorist propaganda.

The call was immediately echoed by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP). Sezgin Tanrikulu, a prominent CHP member of parliament from Diyarbakir, the main city in Türkiye's Kurdish-majority region, took to the social media platform X to underscore the legal finality of the court's decision. 

"The ECHR decision is now final," he wrote. "It must be implemented immediately."

In the wake of the ruling, Demirtas's legal team has already taken action. One of his lawyers, Mahsuni Karaman, told Ilke TV that they had filed the necessary court papers demanding his client's immediate release. He outlined the potential next steps for the Turkish courts, stating that "the appeals chamber can do two things: immediately release him... or review the case on its merits."

In what is perhaps the most surprising and potentially significant development, Devlet Bahçeli, the influential leader of the nationalist MHP party and a close and crucial political ally of President Erdoğan, appeared to lend his support to the calls for release.

In remarks broadcast by Turkish media, Bahçeli struck a tone of legal pragmatism. "Mr. Demirtas has achieved a result through legal means," he said. "His release will be a positive step for Türkiye." 

This statement, coming from a staunch nationalist who has historically been a fierce critic of the Kurdish political movement, is a remarkable and unexpected development.

It could signal a potential shift in the political calculus within the ruling coalition, or it may be a strategic move to de-escalate tensions and demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law in the eyes of the international community.

For now, the fate of Selahattin Demirtas hangs in the balance, caught between the clear and binding order of Europe's highest human rights court and the political will of a Turkish government that has, for years, defied such rulings.

The unified demand from the opposition, coupled with the unexpected nod from a key government ally, has created a new and powerful momentum for his release. The world, and the people of Türkiye, now watch to see if the ninth anniversary of his imprisonment will be his last behind bars.