Kobani Case File Moves to Appeals Court
The Kobani case file, in which Ankara's 22nd Heavy Penal Court sentenced former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and other defendants to prison terms on May 16, 2024, has been taken up for review by the Ankara Regional Court of Justice's 22nd Criminal Chamber.
RastinewsAs debate continues over the release of former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who has spent nearly 10 years in prison, the Kobani case file has entered a new stage. According to RûpelNews, the file, in which Demirtaş is among the defendants, has been taken up for review by the Ankara Regional Court of Justice.
Ankara's 22nd Heavy Penal Court sentenced Demirtaş and several other defendants to prison terms on May 16, 2024, in the case known publicly as the "Kobani case." After the local court issued its reasoned verdict, the file was forwarded to the Ankara Regional Court of Justice's 22nd Criminal Chamber. According to sources in Ankara, the chamber has now taken up the file for review, though it remains unclear when the appellate review will conclude or what the court will decide.
Release debate resurfaces
The file's review has revived debate over whether Demirtaş will be released. Mehmet Uçum, chief adviser to the president and deputy head of the Presidency's Council of Legal Policies, said on September 17 that work was underway on a new enforcement law. Uçum said the measure would not amount to a general amnesty, adding that there was no legal obstacle to Demirtaş applying to benefit from it, but that this would not automatically result in his release — the final decision, he said, rests with the relevant judicial authority.
MHP leader earlier called release "a good thing"
MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli had previously said Demirtaş's release would be "a good thing" for Turkey. The next steps in Demirtaş's legal case now depend on the ruling the Ankara Regional Court of Justice's 22nd Criminal Chamber issues on the Kobani case file.
Demirtaş jailed since 2016
Selahattin Demirtaş was arrested following an operation carried out on the night of November 4, 2016. His detention and trial have long been a subject of debate both before Turkish courts and under rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. The ECtHR previously ruled that Demirtaş's detention violated the European Convention on Human Rights.