By Sibel Ugurlu
ANKARA (AA) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday ordered release of Turkey's jailed former opposition leader.
In a statement, the European court noted that former co-chair of opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas had been arrested and detained on “reasonable suspicion” of having committed a criminal offence.
However, the statement said the judicial authorities had extended the politician’s detention on grounds that could not be regarded as “sufficient” to justify its duration.
In November 2016, Selahattin Demirtas together with 12 HDP lawmakers were arrested on terror-related charges. Demirtas remains in custody pending trial.
The Turkish government accused the HDP of being linked to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.
