Following the death of his father on Sunday, jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş will continue to defend himself at Tuesday’s hearing of the Kobani (Kobanê) trial, in which 108 members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are on trial.
“I will continue my defence to pay my debt to my people and my father,” Demirtaş said through his lawyer.
Demirtaş, former co-chair of the dissolved HDP, had begun his defence last week in the ongoing trial. Demirtaş’s father passed away during the recess, sparking speculation as to whether he would continue his defence.
Meanwhile, in Diyarbakır, thousands of people, including Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), politicians and representatives of NGOs, on Monday flocked to pay their respects at the condolence centre for Tahir Demirtaş.
Selahattin Demirtaş did not attend the funeral of his father. His lawyer, Mahsuni Karaman, said Demirtaş did not ask the authorities for permission to leave prison to bury his father in protest at his prolonged detention, despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) previously ordering his immediate release.
Demirtaş argued during a recent trial that his imprisonment was a result of his Kurdish identity and political beliefs, defining himself as a ‘political hostage’.
The ECHR had confirmed that Demirtaş’s imprisonment was “politically motivated” and had issued several warnings to Turkey over the country’s failure to implement ECHR rulings, but Demirtaş has remained behind bars since 2016.
Tahir Demirtaş, who was also the former head of the Diyarbakır (Amed) branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), had suffered a heart attack last year, and was hospitalised ahead of the crucial presidential elections in May.
Selahattin Demirtaş was then granted permission by the Ministry of Justice to travel to Diyarbakır for a brief visit to his critically ill father in intensive care. Political circles interpreted the permission granted to Demirtaş as part of a possible tactical alteration in the attitude of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) towards the HDP, in order to win Kurdish votes.
However, in a traditional balcony speech after securing another term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continued to brand Demirtaş a “terrorist”. The divisive rhetoric used by Erdoğan during the speech resonated with supporters who vehemently chanted “Death to Selo”, seemingly outwardly supporting the idea that the former HDP co-chair should be executed.