ECHR ruling on former HDP leader Demirtaş ‘does not bind us,’ says Erdoğan

The European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) ruling on the former head of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaş is not our concern, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.

"ECHR decisions do not bind us. There are also so many things we can do against it [ECHR's decision]. We will make a counter move," Erdoğan said.

"Terrorism is still continuing in Turkey and the Turkish nation is the one who pays the price," he added.

The ECHR ruled earlier on Tuesday that Turkey violated the right to a speedy trial for Demirtaş, who was sentenced in September to over four years in jail on terrorism charges related to a speech he gave in 2013, after having spent nearly two years jailed while on trial.

The court, which awarded him 10,000 euros in damages and a further 15,000 euros in costs, ruled against a number of his other complaints and accepted that he had been arrested and detained on "reasonable suspicion" of having committed a criminal offence.

Turkey says the HDP has links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Demirtaş faces several other terrorism-related charges and a total of 142 years in prison if convicted.

Erdoğan also said he would meet with Devlet Bahçeli, the leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on Wednesday.

Erdoğan stressed that he did not see any issue on the continuation of People's Alliance with MHP.

"We will discuss the electoral alliance [in the upcoming local elections]. I hope we will obtain a result which will be good for both sides."

Local elections are set to be held across Turkey on March 31, 2019.

The alliance -- formed early this year, ahead of June general elections -- includes the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the MHP as well as the much smaller BBP, or the Great Union Party.