ISTANBUL – Turkey’s president on Wednesday accused the European Court of Human Rights of “defending a terrorist” after it ruled that Turkey must immediately release from prison a prominent Kurdish politician.Speaking to his ruling party's lawmakers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called imprisoned politician Selahattin Demirtas a “terrorist" who was responsible for dozens of deaths during violent protests five years ago.Erdogan also accuses Demirtas of links to outlawed Kurdish insurgents.
The Kurdish politician faces up to 142 years in prison on terror charges but denies any wrongdoing.Demirtas co-led the second-largest opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, before his arrest in November 2016.