A Turkish court ruled Monday that leading pro-Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas should be released during his ongoing trial, his party said, though he will remain in prison under a previous conviction. The ruling is significant as it comes ahead of a hearing by the European Court of Human Rights later this month, which is expected to again criticise the long pre-trial detention of Demirtas, a founder of the Peoples Democratic Party (HDP).

The court in Sincan, near the capital Ankara, is hearing the main case against Demirtas on charges of "managing a terror organisation, making propaganda for a terror group and inciting criminal acts".

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019