Selahattin Demirtaş: Kurdish Presidential Candidate and Poet in Prison
- Rezan Babakir
- May 6
- 3 min read
Who Is Selahattin Demirtaş?
Selahattin Demirtaş is a Kurdish Turkish politician and poet born in 1973 in Palu, Elazığ who co-chaired the HDP from 2014 to 2018 and ran as the HDP's presidential candidate in both the 2014 and 2018 elections — the first Kurdish politician to contest Turkey's presidency as a serious candidate, winning approximately 10% of the vote in both contests.
He has been imprisoned since November 2016 — arrested on terrorism charges that the European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly ruled to be politically motivated and in violation of his rights, ordering his release. Turkey has refused to comply with these rulings. He has continued to write poetry from his prison cell in Edirne, publishing collections that have been bestsellers in Turkey.
His imprisonment, the ECHR rulings demanding his release, and Turkey's defiance of those rulings have made him one of the most internationally prominent political prisoners in Europe. He was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in 2018 while in prison.
Key Takeaways
• Born in 1973; HDP co-chair 2014-2018; twice presidential candidate (2014, 2018).
• Imprisoned since November 2016 despite repeated ECHR orders for release.
• Awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament in 2018 while in prison.
• Continues to write and publish poetry from prison — his collections became bestsellers.
• The most internationally prominent Kurdish political prisoner of the contemporary era.
Quick Facts
Table of Contents
Early Life
Born in 1973 in Palu in Elazığ Province — a Kurdish region of eastern Turkey. He trained as a lawyer and became a human rights advocate and politician, rising through the Kurdish democratic movement to the co-chairmanship of the HDP.
Historical Context
Turkey's Kurdish democratic parties have faced sustained state pressure. The HDP under Demirtaş passed the 10% electoral threshold in 2015, entering parliament with a large delegation and temporarily blocking the AKP from a parliamentary majority. This success made the party and its leadership targets of intensified state pressure.
Achievements
Presidential Candidacy and HDP Leadership
Demirtaş's presidential campaigns in 2014 and 2018 — winning approximately 10% of the vote each time — were unprecedented in Turkish political history: the first times a Kurdish political leader had contested the Turkish presidency as a serious candidate, taking the Kurdish democratic vision to a national platform.
His HDP co-chairmanship (with Figen Yüksekdağ) brought the party to its greatest electoral success — passing the 10% threshold in 2015 and entering parliament with 80 seats.
Poetry from Prison
Demirtaş has written and published poetry collections from his prison cell — works of lyrical beauty and political reflection that have become bestsellers in Turkey, demonstrating that his voice cannot be silenced by imprisonment. His poetry has been translated into multiple languages.
Timeline
Debates
His imprisonment and the ECHR rulings on his case are extensively documented. Turkey maintains the terrorism charges are legitimate; the ECHR and international human rights community view them as politically motivated.
Legacy
Selahattin Demirtaş is the most internationally prominent Kurdish political prisoner of the contemporary era — a politician, poet, and human rights advocate whose imprisonment in defiance of European Court rulings has made him a symbol of Kurdish democratic rights and the rule of law. His poetry from prison gives his imprisonment an additional cultural and human dimension.
Connections
FAQ
Who is Selahattin Demirtaş?
Selahattin Demirtaş (born 1973) is a Kurdish Turkish politician and poet who co-chaired the HDP and ran for Turkey's presidency twice. He has been imprisoned since November 2016 despite repeated European Court of Human Rights orders for his release.
Was Selahattin Demirtaş Kurdish?
Yes. He was born in the Kurdish region of eastern Turkey and has devoted his political career to Kurdish democratic rights.
Why is he in prison?
He was arrested in November 2016 on terrorism charges that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled to be politically motivated and in violation of his rights. Turkey has refused to comply with ECHR orders for his release.
References
Wikipedia contributors. 'Selahattin Demirtaş.' Wikipedia. Accessed 2025.
Comments