Kobani case file moves to appeals court
The Kobani case file, in which Ankara's 22nd High Criminal Court sentenced former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş and other defendants to prison on May 16, 2024, has been taken up for review by the 22nd Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice.
RastinewsThe Kobani case file has entered a new stage as debate continues over the possible release of former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who has spent nearly 10 years in prison. 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 High Criminal Court handed down various prison sentences to Demirtaş and several other defendants on May 16, 2024, in the case widely known as the "Kobani case." After the local court issued its reasoned verdict, the file was sent to the 22nd Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice. According to sources in Ankara, the chamber has now taken up the file for review. It remains unclear when the appeals review will conclude or what the court will decide.
Release debate resurfaces
The file's review has reignited debate over whether Demirtaş will be released. Mehmet Uçum, Chief Advisor to the President and Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Board of Legal Policies, said on September 17 that work was underway on a new enforcement-law amendment. Uçum said the amendment would not amount to a general amnesty, adding that there was no legal obstacle to Demirtaş applying to benefit from it, but that such an application would not automatically result in release — the final decision would rest 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 situation now depend on the ruling the 22nd Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice issues on the Kobani case file.
Demirtaş has been 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 dispute, both before Turkish judicial authorities and under rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR had previously ruled that Demirtaş's detention violated the European Convention on Human Rights.