ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Selahattin Demirtas denied in court on Wednesday that he has taken orders from the PKK.
“To this day, during my political life, I have never received any order from any PKK executive or member. Even if it did come, I would not accept it. Everyone knows me in this regard. We are not as weak-minded and pathetic as conceived by the government,” Demirtas said.
The former co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) appeared in court on Wednesday in a continuation of multiple proceedings against him, largely stemming from alleged ties to the PKK, a named terror organization.
“To this day, during my political life, I have never received any order from any PKK executive or member. Even if it did come, I would not accept it. Everyone knows me in this regard. We are not as weak-minded and pathetic as conceived by the government,” Demirtas said.
The former co-chair of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) appeared in court on Wednesday in a continuation of multiple proceedings against him, largely stemming from alleged ties to the PKK, a named terror organization.
Related: Kurdish leader Demirtas to appear before Turkish court
The court had before it 17,771 pages detailing 31 proceedings, according to Rudaw’s correspondent Shawkat Harki in Ankara.
Demirtas sarcastically asked the judge if he has read the full document and said himself, he would need more than five years to read it in prison.
Ten of the judges who assisted in preparing the case are now in jail for links to the Gulen movement.
Demirtas condemned the proceedings as an “ambush” by the Gulen movement that Ankara considers a terror group that was behind the failed 2016 coup.
“The summary of proceedings is a plot and ambush… Today your court is trying [me] based on FETO’s plotting ambush,” Demirtas said, using the Turkish acronym for the group.
He asked why the charges against him have not been dropped as has happened in other Gulen-associated matters.
Only 50 people were allowed to attend the trial, in addition to Demirtas’ family members, HDP’s co-chairs, and MPs. A deputy from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Sezgin Tanrikulu, also attended.
Proceedings will continue for another two days.
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