Objection to his release rejected: Did the brake on Demirtaş's release come from Öcalan?
A response has come from DEM Party sources regarding the alleged statement by Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, concerning the release of Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been in prison since 2016, in which he reportedly said, 'Hold on, there is still time for that.'
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Despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issuing a "violation" ruling for the third time, the Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court rejected the release application for former HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş and other politicians imprisoned in the Kobani case.
While questions of "is there a disruption in the process?" have come to the public agenda, a new claim circulating in the corridors has raised tensions.
CORRIDOR TALK: DID A "HOLD ON" INSTRUCTION COME FROM ÖCALAN?
According to some claims, PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan said, "Hold on, it's not time for that yet," regarding Demirtaş's release during a meeting with the DEM Party Imralı Delegation. These words brought with them allegations that the path to releases was blocked by Öcalan.
Following the allegations, we discussed the details of the process with DEM Party sources. The sources stated that there is no problem, saying, "The process is progressing below our expectations. We are waiting for the commissions to be established. But this does not mean there is a disruption."
We also asked the sources about the claim that dropped like a bombshell on the agenda, that Öcalan specifically intervened in Demirtaş's release. According to information obtained by Seyhan Avşar from Gerçek Gündem, the answer given is as follows:
"It is not possible for such a thing to happen. Mr. Öcalan never looks at the process through individual names. He has always emphasized that as long as the Kurdish issue remains unresolved, there will be political hostages. But he has not made an individual release assessment regarding Mr. Demirtaş or any other friend of ours."