Selahattin Demirtaş, the jailed former co-chair of the Democratic People’s Party (HDP) on Saturday lashed back at the head of Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog for claiming that he, Demirtaş, has been convicted of terror-related crimes.
Demirtaş was reacting to Ebubekir Şahin, the president of the Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey (RTÜK), who on Saturday announced that the watchdog has launched an investigation into the opposition channel HalkTV, calling its broadcasting provocative.
The investigation was launched after HalkTV held an interview with Mashuq Kurt, a lecturer at Royal Holloway University of London known for his academic research on Kurdish Hizbullah.
The academic evaluated the recent election alliance forged between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Islamist Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par), established in 2012 on the ashes of the Kurdish Hizbullah, which caused terrible bloodshed and horror in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast during the 1990s by waging war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“There is a similar pattern in the state’s policies against the Kurds, not only in the policies of the Turkish Republic, but during the Ottoman period too,” Kurt said, discussing the alliance between two parties for the 14 May elections.
“Colonial powers have done the same in Africa, in Asia and in other similar places. But in the final analysis, I can simply say that the AKP has missed the Kurdish train,” he said.
HalkTV’s presenter also asked Kurt his opinions on the latest book of stories by Demirtaş, who is detained in Edirne prison in northwest Turkey.
The academic said he had greatly enjoyed reading the book. “We send hugs from here to everyone imprisoned for their freedom struggle,” said Kurt.
Şahin, however, referring to Kurt and Demirtaş, said on Twitter: “The provocative broadcast of HalkTV is unacceptable since, as elections approach, the rules the media should taking into account are clear. No-one can call our country colonialist, no-one can praise someone who is convicted of being a member of the terrorist organisation. The requisite investigation has been launched.”
Demirtaş responded to Şahin using the same social media platform.
“I have not been convicted of membership of a terrorist organisation, you fathead! Don’t tell lies,” the politician said.
“You have kept me in a 12 metre squared prison cell for seven years but you hit the panic button whenever my name is mentioned. That is because we are the people and we are right,” Demirtaş said.
DAD, Demirtaş’s new book of stories was released in February. Demirtaş has written and published two other books of stories as well as two novels during his seven years in prison.
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers earlier this month once again called on the Turkish authorities to immediately release Demirtaş, condemning his detention, that continues despite a previous decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) .
