Hurriyet: Erdogan’s government is considering the release of Demirtaş

According to Isna, on Tuesday, the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Baghçeli government, an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, supported his release after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in July that the arrest of Demirtaş, the former leader of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), violated his right to freedom and that some actions against him were politically motivated.

The Turkish Ministry of Justice appealed the verdict, but the European Court of Human Rights rejected it.

In an article for the pro-government newspaper Hurriyet, Abdul Qadir Salvi wrote: “Salahuddin Demirtas is on the verge of freedom.” His release is only a few days away. Salaheddin Demirtaş has had a great impact on the “Türkiye without terror” process. “His release will also positively contribute to this process.”

The Justice and Development Party is considering options to expand the amnesty to include more prisoners, such as Osman Kavala, a human rights activist and founder of the cultural foundation Anadolu Kultur AS, which supports ethnic and religious minority projects, including reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia and a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish conflict.

“There are those in the Justice and Development Party who think: Let’s turn over a new leaf,” Selvi said. Let’s not limit ourselves to Salahuddin Demirtas. Let’s pave the way for the release of others from whom society has high expectations, like Usman Kavala.”

In February 2020, a court in Türkiye acquitted Kavala of coup-related charges stemming from the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Istanbul. On the same day, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office issued a new arrest warrant for him citing new crimes related to the failed coup of 2016.

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