Demirtas should remain in prison, Ankara court rules

The Ankara 19th High Criminal Court on Tuesday ruled for a continuation of the imprisonment of Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas, who has been in jail since November 2016 on charges of serving as an executive of a terrorist organization.

Demirtas attended the hearing via video conference, and his lawyers were not present in the courtroom, Turkish Minute reported.
After reading new evidence added to Demirtas's file, the judge asked for his defense, but Demirtas said he would prefer to make a statement when he and his lawyers are present in the courtroom.
The next hearing will be held on October 3.
Former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Demirtas is accused of serving as an executive of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Demirtas, the presidential nominee from the HDP in elections on June 24, garnered 8.4 percent of the vote.
According to law, he could not run for both a parliamentary seat and the presidency; therefore, he has not held the position of deputy since the elections.
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