Jailed politician makes election speech via call to wife

Jun 6, 2018

In an unusual election campaign, Turkey's jailed pro-Kurdish politician and presidential candidate has delivered a speech from his prison cell through a telephone call to his wife and other family members _ a video of which was later broadcast on Twitter

ANKARA, Turkey — In an unusual election campaign, a jailed pro-Kurdish politician and presidential candidate in Turkey has delivered a speech from his prison cell via a telephone call to his wife and other family members — a video of which was later broadcast on Twitter.

Selahattin Demirtas described himself in the Wednesday speech as a "political hostage," devoid of the right to a fair trial. He asked for votes in Turkey's June 24 snap presidential and parliamentary elections, saying "anti-democratic practices" had turned the country into one of the most "unhappy and pessimistic" societies.

The 45-year-old former human rights lawyer was arrested and imprisoned in 2016 for alleged links to outlawed Kurdish militants.

He faces a 142-year sentence on charges of leading a terror organization and other crimes. Demirtas denies wrongdoing.

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This story has been corrected to give the translation as "political hostage" rather than "prisoner"

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