Selahattin Demirtaş granted Weimar Human Rights Award

Former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş was granted the Weimar Human Rights Award. German Culture Minister Claudia Roth attended the award ceremony and called Demirtaş her friend.

Duvar English 

Prominent Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş was granted the Weiman Human Rights Award, Deutsche Welle's Turkish service reported on Dec. 10. 

Demirtaş's brother Süleyman Demirtaş attended the award ceremony in Weimar, since the former Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair has been behind bars since Nov. 4, 2016. 

Selahattin Demirtaş sent a message to the award ceremony and thanked everyone for their solidarity. 

Speaking at the ceremony, German Culture Minister Claudia Roth called Demirtaş her friend and deemed him "a brave and smart politician who is a human rights defender and a democrat."

She also said that she perceives Demirtaş as hope for Turkey's democratization and asked lawyers to convey that they have not forgotten about him and that they continue to support him. 

Weimar Mayor Peter Kleine, meanwhile, said that Demirtaş was granted the award for his efforts for democratization, the equality of people in terms of language, culture and politics, as well as his works to find a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. 

Demirtaş was arrested over five years ago on charges related to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). He denies all links and says that he was imprisoned on political grounds. 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been ignoring European rulings for his immediate release and has called Demirtaş "a terrorist" in the past.