Jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş has decided not to attend the funeral of his father, Tahir Demirtaş, who died on Sunday morning, his lawyer, Mahsuni Karaman, announced.
“Selahattin Demirtaş did not ask for permission and decided not to attend the funeral in protest against his current situation as a political hostage,” Karaman told Artı Gerçek.
Demirtaş, former co-chair of Turkey’s Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), argued during a recent trial that his prolonged detention was a result of his Kurdish identity and political beliefs.
The politician has been held behind bars since 2016, despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) previously confirming that Demirtaş’s detention was “politically motivated” and ordering his immediate release.
Tahir Demirtaş, who was also a former chairman of the Diyarbakır (Amed) branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), had previously suffered a heart attack last year, which led to his hospitalisation. Selahattin Demirtaş, was then granted permission by the Ministry of Justice to travel to Diyarbakır for a brief visit with his critically ill father in intensive care. Since then, Tahir Demirtaş’s health has deteriorated and he passed away in the early hours of the morning.
Tahir Demirtaş’s body was taken to the Yeniköy cemetery in the Kurdish-majority province of Diyarbakır (Amed). Demirtaş’s family and relatives, lawyer Mahsuni Karaman, representatives of the Human Rights Association (IHD), Sezgin Tanrıkulu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Tülay Hatimoğulları, co-chair of the DEM party, activists from the Peace Mothers group and lawyers from the Diyarbakır Bar Association were present at the cemetery.
Meanwhile, condolences are being offered to Selahattin Demirtaş’s wife, Başak Demirtaş.
İHD declared in a statement that “the necessary procedures should be initiated immediately so that Selahattin Demirtaş can attend the funeral”.
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) expressed its deep sorrow and condolences to Selahattin Demirtaş, the Demirtaş family, party members and the public.
The statement reads: “May the resting place of Tahir Demirtaş, who dedicated his life to the struggle and raised children who became fighters, be a paradise”.
In the statement, the DEM party also condemned what it called the oppressive regime that prevented Tahir Demirtaş’s loved ones from being at his side in his last moments.
