Even Erdoğan backs the release of Turkey’s brightest opposition leader. So why is he still in jail?
Selahattin Demirtaş lit up the Turkish left in 2014, but was imprisoned for ‘terrorist propaganda’. His freedom would mark a new political era
TL;DR
- Selahattin Demirtaş, a former leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish party, rose to prominence with his witty speeches and strong electoral performance.
- He was imprisoned in 2016 on charges related to alleged 'terrorist propaganda' following protests in 2014, which coincided with a shift in Turkey's political climate.
- Despite international rulings by the European Court of Human Rights deeming his imprisonment politically motivated, Demirtaş remains in jail.
- Recent geopolitical changes in Syria have led to a peace process between Turkey and its Kurdish minority, creating an environment where calls for Demirtaş's release have grown, even from figures like President Erdoğan and Devlet Bahçeli.
- Demirtaş has become a prolific author during his decade of imprisonment, using his writing as a form of resistance.