The former co-chair of the HDP, Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned in Turkey, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for insulting the president. The background to the sentence is the politician's critical remarks regarding the AKP government's behavior following the shooting down of a Russian fighter jet by the Turkish Air Force. The aircraft had been shot down in the Syrian border area on November 24, 2015. As a result, Moscow had imposed far-reaching punitive measures against Ankara, including an import ban on Turkish goods, work bans and sanctions against the tourism industry. At the time, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan initially refused to apologize to Russia for the downing. The verdict of the criminal court in Ankara is not yet final. It was only one of many proceedings against Demirtaş for allegedly insulting the president.

Background to the accusations

On December 23, 2015, Demirtaş traveled to Moscow with an HDP delegation to hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The meeting was planned well in advance, and the topics discussed included the Kurds' fight against the jihadist militia "Islamic State" (IS) in Syria and Iraq. Demirtaş described the shooting down of the Russian fighter jet by the Turkish army as a mistake. "We spoke openly with each other and condemned the government's actions in shooting down the Russian jet," the HDP politician said after the talks with Lavrov.

Turkey outraged over Moscow trip

The government of then-Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had sharply criticized the HDP delegation's Moscow trip. He said Demirtaş was expanding cooperation with those with whom Turkey had problems, arguing that, moreover, the Kurds in Turkey, as in Syria, were using the "Russian card" to advance their interests. This is treason, Davutoğlu said.

Upon his arrival at the airport in Ankara, the Kurdish politician told the press on December 24, 2015, that the conflict that escalated between Russia and Turkey following the jet shootdown was due to the misconduct of the AKP government, putting the livelihood of millions of people at risk. In response, Moscow had imposed wide-ranging punitive measures against Ankara, including an import ban on Turkish goods, work bans and sanctions against the tourism industry. Visa-free travel had also been unilaterally lifted by Russia. The move had hit the Turkish tourism industry particularly hard. Some four million Russians travel to Turkey annually.

"Nobody is buying this old lie of alleged treason against the country," Demirtaş said, looking to Ankara. "This does not allow you to hide your mistakes. With big words, you want to distract from your own betrayal, from your robbery and plunder of this country." In addition, the politician accused the AKP of "inaction." Quite a few people, workers, students and companies have had the rug pulled out from under them by Russia's sanctions provoked by Turkey, he said. "And what does the government do? Nothing!" said Demirtaş.

Prosecution demands up to 142 years in prison

Selahattin Demirtaş, who is a lawyer by profession and headed the human rights association IHD in Amed (Diyarbakir) for many years before becoming an active politician, has been in prison since November 4, 2016. He was arrested along with nine other HDP deputies, including former co-chairwoman Figen Yüksekdağ. In the main trial, the prosecution accuses him of founding and leading a terrorist organization, terrorist propaganda and incitement of the people, among other charges. The indictment builds on 31 investigative reports submitted to the Turkish parliament for a removal of immunity during his time as a member of parliament. If convicted, Demirtaş faces up to 142 years in prison. In the proceedings surrounding the October 2014 protests against Turkish support for the jihadist militia "Islamic State" (IS) in the attack on the town of Kobanê in Rojava, Demirtaş is accused of 37 counts of murder, among other charges.