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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Jailed leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas has rejected accusations linking him with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and said he believes “democracy” is the antidote for violence.
In an interview released by "Bir Arti Bir" on Saturday, Demirtas answered a range of questions on his political affiliations and opinions on the status of Kurds in Turkey.
"I'm a politician and I'm not linked to any organization other than the HDP. I'm a politician who chose the path of democratic politics because I don't find the methods of using violence and arms appropriate,” Demirtas told the Turkish magazine.
Demirtas has been imprisoned since November 2016, awaiting trial on a flurry of legal cases and terror-related charges often brought against pro-Kurdish officials and activists.
"If I were a PKK member, I would have at least said that in court, I am what I am.” Demirtas said in response to his alleged links with the PKK. “I have nothing to hide, and I have not conducted any illegal activity.”
“I believe that democracy is the antidote for violence…. all problems must be solved by peaceful political methods,” Demirtas added.
The PKK, which has struggled for decades for increased rights for Kurds in Turkey, has been branded a terror group by the Turkish government.
In November 2018, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a ruling on Demirtas' appeal of his detention, and ordered Turkey to release Demirtas, a ruling dismissed by Ankara.
Bulent Arinc, a top aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, resigned last week after calling for the release of Demirtas and jailed Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala.
Demirtas expressed optimism regarding the use of Kurdish language in Turkey, and claimed that it is the duty of the administration to make way for the language to be freely used.
“There is no need to be pessimistic… the main way for a language to be preserved is through its constant use,” he said. “In order to preserve this language, we need collaboration from the administration.”
The Kurdish language has been silenced in modern Turkey since its foundation in 1923, due to the oppressive assimilation policies of successive governments. A 2019 study showed that only a small proportion of Turkey’s Kurdish population can speak Kurdish.
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