‘Today marks a particularly painful anniversary: honorary PEN member Selahattin Demirtaş has been wrongfully held behind bars in Türkiye for 10 years, merely for peacefully exercising his fundamental rights. The European Court of Human Rights twice ruled that Demirtaş should be released, to no avail. It is past time the authorities of Türkiye abide by their obligations and free Demirtaş from his politically motivated and utterly cruel detention,’ said Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President.
04 November 2026 – The authorities of Türkiye must immediately and unconditionally release writer and honorary PEN member Selahattin Demirtaş, PEN International said today, marking 10 years since his arrest. The organisation also reiterates its call on the authorities to stop weaponising the criminal justice system to silence opposition voices.
Writer and former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş was detained on 4 November 2016 alongside eight HDP members. The arrests came in the wake of the 15 July 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye, and the breakdown of the rule of law that followed. Demirtaş has faced multiple criminal prosecutions on spurious grounds over the years. Notably, he was sentenced in September 2018 to four years and eight months in prison for allegedly carrying out ‘terrorist propaganda’ during a speech he had given in 2013. He was further sentenced to three years and six months in prison in March 2021 for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan.
New terrorism charges were brought against Demirtaş on 20 September 2019 in relation to the ‘Kobane case’, in which 108 HDP members faced prosecution as part of a probe into deadly protests that took place across Türkiye in October 2014. In May 2024, Demirtaş was found guilty of ‘aiding in undermining the unity and integrity of the state’, ‘incitement to commit a crime’ and ‘making propaganda for a terrorist organisation.’ He was sentenced to 42 years in prison, alongside scores of other HDP members who were also convicted. The trial is widely seen as politically motivated, with the HDP facing a potential ban in a separate case. On 6 January 2026, Demirtaş received a further 17-and-a-half-month prison sentence for ‘insulting’ President Erdoğan in 2015 speeches.
The authorities of Türkiye have yet to implement two rulings by the European Court of Human Rights issued in December 2020 and in July 2025. The Court found that Demirtaş’s continued detention violated his rights, identified political motives behind it, and ordered his release. In March 2025, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers urged once again for Türkiye authorities to implement the Court’s rulings, which are legally binding. Nevertheless, Demirtaş remains held in Edirne prison in western Türkiye, more than 1,600 km away from his loved ones in Diyarbakır.
PEN International has long documented human rights violations against Kurdish writers in Türkiye, where the authorities have repeatedly targeted Kurdish language, culture, media outlets, and political organisations. In a resolution adopted by the Assembly of Delegates of PEN International in September 2022, PEN International specifically urged the authorities of Türkiye to end the prosecution and detention of writers – including that of Demirtaş – merely for promoting Kurdish linguistic, cultural, and political rights. PEN International reiterates calls on the authorities of Türkiye to stop the systematic harassment and intimidation of Kurdish journalists, writers, media outlets, politicians and the lawyers who defend them. However, the authorities’ crackdown on Kurdish and opposition voices continues unabated, despite ongoing negotiations aimed at building a sustainable peace.
Additional information
Selahattin Demirtaş, born on 10 April 1973, wrote the short story collection Seher (Dawn) (2017) while in prison. The book instantly became a bestseller and was translated into scores of languages. In 2018, it was awarded a PEN Translates grant by English PEN. He later wrote Devran (2019), Leylan (2020), Efsun (2021), DAD (2023), and Arafta Düet (Duet in Purgatory) (co-written with Yiğit Bener, 2024). His latest book Jamal was published in 2025.
PEN International has long been campaigning on behalf of Selahattin Demirtaş, notably featuring him in its 2021 Day of the Imprisoned Writer Campaign.
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