Istanbul (HRNW)- Kurdish politician and former lawmaker Selahattin Demirtaş has been sentenced to 17 months and 15 days in prison for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The sentence comes after various cases against the 52-year-old politician, currently imprisoned in Edirne Prison, were combined.
Demirtaş, a prominent figure in Turkish Kurdish politics, was previously imprisoned in 2016 on charges related to terrorism and his political activities advocating for Kurdish rights. In 2021, he was also sentenced to three and a half years for criticizing government policies, including remarks about the 2015 downing of a Russian plane by the Turkish Air Force.
His lawyer noted that the recent sentence includes speeches about President Erdogan from several years ago. Observers say these repeated convictions highlight ongoing political pressure against Demirtaş and Kurdish politicians in Turkey.
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