Jailed Kurdish politician Demirtaş granted first prison leave to visit wife during surgery
Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş was granted his first leave from prison to visit his wife during surgery in Istanbul. DEM official Sırrı Süreyya Önder said the visit remained focused on health, and Demirtaş spoke briefly with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli.
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The imprisoned co-chair of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Selahattin Demirtaş, was granted a leave for the first time to accompany his wife Başak Demirtaş after her surgery.
Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party Istanbul Deputy and Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Sırrı Süreyya Önder shared the latest photo of the couple as Demirtaş was transferred from Edirne Prison to Istanbul.
Önder described Demirtaş' surgery as a "matter of life," and all prisoners had a right to request leaves in such circumstances.
Accordingly, President Erdoğan "showed sensitivity" and approved the request with haste.
Around 9:00 a.m. on March 4, Mr. Demirtaş was brought to the hospital where the surgery would take place. Until the surgery, he provided moral support to his wife.
Önder also described a phone call that took place during this visit between Demirtaş and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli, speaking on a live broadcast on Habertürk.
Accordingly, Bahçeli wished Ms. Başak recovery and "showed the grace" to ask Demirtaş if he needed anything.
"It was purely about health and the hospital. He said, 'Hopefully better and brighter days will come, take care of your health'," added Önder.
Around 10 p.m. the same day, Demirtaş went back to prison.
Demirtaş had said that he would "mourn in prison" after his father's Dec. 31 death, and not apply to attend the funeral, saying “I will not ask for anything from (the government)."
Other jailed Kurdish politicians, such as Gültan Kışanak, either were not allowed to attend or were subjected to ill-treatment during the funerals of their relatives before the peace process was set into motion.
"Our people should not look for hidden motives in this. A new era is beginning. Many old mindsets will be cast aside. People should not think of it as taking sides. We will link arms and look toward each other’s horizons. These are the days for that," maintained Önder.