Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party said on Monday it had appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over what it said was the unlawful imprisonment of its two leaders on terrorism-related charges.
“In spite of the established case-law which states that interventions which prevent elected lawmakers from fulfilling their legislative activities negate the power of political representation and its reflection on parliament, the Constitutional Court has not made any investigation during the 95 days of the time the co-leaders have been in jail. For this reason, it has become necessary to submit an application to the ECHR,” the HDP stated on Monday.
"The continuing imprisonment pending trial of the co-chairs of the HDP ... constitutes a violation of the right to freedom and security, freedom of speech and the right to free elections," the HDP said in a statement. "The situation is particularly critical as Turkey is now heading for a referendum," it said.
At the moment, a total of 12 HDP lawmakers, including co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, remain under arrest, facing hundreds of years in jail over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK).
Prosecutors are seeking jail terms of up to 142 years for Demirtaş and 83 years for Yüksekdağ on charges including managing a terror organisation, inciting violence, and terrorist propaganda, according to a court indictment seen by Reuters last month.
The HDP also said in its application that since July 2016, 5,471 people have been taken into custody and 1,482 people have been arrested within the scope of operations targeting the HDP and its supporters.
