The 4 years and 8 months sentence imposed by the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court for the speech of Selahattin Demirtaş, former Co-Chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at the Newroz celebration held in Istanbul on March 17, 2013, was upheld by the Supreme Court. It was noteworthy that the sentence was upheld the same day the Kobané Case hearing was held.

 

HDP Legal and Human Rights Commission Co-Chairperson Ümit Dede made a written statement regarding the decision of the Supreme Court. In the statement, which stated that the punishment was given unlawfully, it was stated, "The fact that the Supreme Court approved this decision on April 26, when the Kobanî Conspiracy Case started to be heard, shows that the decision is a part of the liquidation attacks carried out by the judiciary against our party and our elected people."

 

COUNTER MOVE

 

The statement continues as follows: "Following the decision of the ECHR for Demirtaş's immediate release, the judicial institutions, acted on the words of Erdoğan when he said: "We will make our conter move and get the job done", have once again fulfilled the political instruction given to them. We know very well that the conspiracy cases against HDP and HDP members, which have been carried out by the judiciary under the control of the government for more than 5 years,  have been managed from a single center, and that the judiciary members and courts working with instructions work in great harmony. As the ECHR Grand Chamber clearly  explained in the Demirtaş decision, the decisions made regarding Demirtaş are political. This decision, which is taken by the biased and dependent judiciary members, is legally null and void. It is not a coincidence that the Supreme Court upheld decision on April 26. As HDP, we will make all these unlawfulness a means to increase our struggle both legally and politically. We have full faith that we will win against this organized evil. "