"Many Kurdish voters in Turkey still remember an incident that occurred during Selahattin Demirtas' election campaign back in 2014. Demirtas' tour bus was rolling along slowly and a young paper collector was walking alongside. "Selahattin Baskan, my president Selahattin!," the young man called out, smiling. The incident became a symbol of the hopes that young Kurds in Turkey placed in Demirtas, head of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, after decades of tensions between Kurdish militants and the Turkish government."
"As a candidate, Demirtas was a surprisingly successful newcomer. Polls indicated that many voters thought he was intelligent, charming, modest and even funny even if they would not vote for him. In the 2014 presidential elections, Demirtas got almost 10% of the vote. If all Kurdish locals had voted for him that would have topped out at 7%, which indicates he was popular beyond ethnic lines Then aged just 40, Demirtas had become a beacon for the long-divided Turkish left wing."
"But then in 2016, he was arrested, charged with being a member of a terrorist organization the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a militant Kurdish group and inciting violence. Last year, he was sentenced to 42 years imprisonment. After Demirtas was handed a 42-year prison sentence in 2024, his supporters protested outside the Ankara courtImage: Alican Uludag/DW For years now, the European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, has condemned Demirtas' arrest, describing his trial as unlawful, and demanded he be released."
Many Kurdish voters in Turkey remember a 2014 moment when a young paper collector called out 'Selahattin Baskan, my president Selahattin!' as Demirtas' tour bus passed. Demirtas emerged as a surprisingly successful newcomer, polling as intelligent, charming, modest and funny, attracting almost 10% in the 2014 presidential election and support beyond Kurdish areas. He helped prevent the AKP regaining an absolute parliamentary majority. In 2016 he was arrested on charges of PKK membership and inciting violence and later sentenced to 42 years. The European Court of Human Rights condemned the arrest as unlawful, demanded release, and rejected Turkey's appeal.
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