ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Selahattin Demirtas, former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), called for a fair trial while being sentenced on Friday to four years and eight months for the first time since his arrest in 2016. “The decision is not legal, but totally political,” Saruhan Oluc HDP spokesperson said at a press conference. Demirtas was charged with “making propaganda for a terror organization” because of his 2013 Newroz speech where he commemorated the assassination of three Kurdish activists in Paris, allegedly killed by Turkish intelligence. “This clearly shows that the government sides with war and is against peace … the government does not think that Kurds deserve peace,” added Oluc. The three women killed were Fidan Dogan, Sakine Cansiz and Leyla Saylemez. Cansiz was a co-founder of PKK. The Turkish government was in a peace process with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at the time of the commemoration. They had requested Demirtas help broker talks with the group. “Hundreds of members of our party were killed in Newroz celebrations. If you say you ‘have made propaganda for terror’ because of commemorating our martyrs, I will not retract my remarks even if you give me a thousand-year sentence,” former HDP co-chair said during his defense. The trial, which took place in Istanbul, was also for the former HDP deputy Sirri Sureyya Onder was who was sentenced to 3 years, 6 months on the same charges. Demirtas did not appear in the court; instead, he joined via an audio-visual transmission (SEGBIS) due to health issues, reported Hurriyet newspaper. Foreign diplomats and activists and HDP deputies were present as observers. Demirtas said that he will not retreat from defending peace, requesting a free trial. “We request fair trial. We do not escape from defending ourselves. I am among the renowned and active politicians of Turkish Republic. I have run for presidency twice. I back everything that I have said everywhere. I have always been ready to defend myself.” Demirtas faces several other charges and remains in Edirne Prison awaiting the next trial. Updated at 7:43 p.m.
