Release was expected: Up to 7 years in prison requested for Selahattin Demirtaş

While the possibility of release for Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned for 9 years, came to the agenda following the ECHR's violation ruling, a new judicial process has been initiated against him. According to the indictment, the case in question was opened on the allegation that Demirtaş committed the crime of "insulting the president" in speeches he made in Mersin and Diyarbakır.

The court ruled to merge two separate case files. However, the request to merge files regarding his speeches in Ankara and Mardin was not found appropriate.

PROSECUTOR REQUESTS UP TO 7 YEARS IN PRISON

In their opinion on the merits, the public prosecutor argued that Demirtaş committed the crime of "insulting the president" in a chain manner and expressed the opinion that he should be sentenced to between 1 year and 3 months to 7 years in prison.

The complainant's lawyer, who connected to the hearing via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), argued that Demirtaş should be punished separately for each act rather than as a chain offense. The defendant's lawyer requested additional time to prepare a defense against the prosecutor's opinion.

TRIAL ADJOURNED TO JANUARY 6

After hearing the statements, the judge decided to maintain Demirtaş's current detention status. Furthermore, the court ruled that a warning should be issued stating that if the defendant does not attend the next hearing, it will be "accepted that he has exercised his right to remain silent." The hearing was adjourned to January 6.

News Source: 12punto