To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the order of the European Court of Human Rights of 20 November 2018 for the release of Selahattin Demirtas by the Turkish authorities, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for his release.
Answered on
13 December 2018
We are aware that the courts in Turkey have just approved a prison sentence for Mr Demirtas of 4 years and 8 months on unrelated charges, making it unlikely that the recent order for his release will be enacted quickly by the Turkish government. We remain clear in our expectation that Turkey lives up to its international obligations and conducts any judicial process fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law.