Demirtaş and Yüksekdağ remain in prison

A Turkish court ruled for continuation of detention for HDP former co-chairs Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş in the so-called “Kobanê investigation”.

Ankara 2nd Penal Court of Peace has reviewed the file of investigation launched on 20 September 2019 against Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş, former co-chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) who have been behind bars since November 2016. The investigation is based on the protests staged across Turkey in October 2014 when Kurds poured into the streets for Kobanê during the 2014 invasion attacks of the ISIS gangs supported by the Turkish state on the northern Syrian town.

After the review of the investigation file submitted by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office with a demand for “continuation of detention”, the 2nd Penal Court of Peace indeed drew the same conclusion and submitted the ruling to the lawyers on Saturday.

The court decision was based on “the presence of evidence indicating a strong probability of crime, the quality of the crime in question and the current state of the evidence”.

Most recently, as many as 22 HDP politicians have been jailed in Turkey in the scope of the investigation launched by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.