State broadcaster says Demirtas called for "uprising" because he urged people to "stand up"

State broadcaster says Demirtas called for "uprising" because he urged people to "stand up"
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Demirtas has been accused of inciting revolt after he posted a 2014 election campaign video, in which he says, "You are the people who is going to call this palace to account! Stand up!"

Turkish state broadcaster TRT said on Monday that imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas "called for an uprising" in his latest tweet, a week ahead of the presidential election runoff on 28 May.

Addressing the people of Turkey in his tweet, Demirtas said:

"People, you are the people who is going to call this palace to account! Stand up!"

He posted a video below, showing him making an address before the presidential election in 2014.

He says in the video:

"People, you are the people who is going to call this palace to account! Stand up! Bring your hand down on the table, bring the palaces crashing down on sultans."

Government media Yeni Safak and Yeni Akit used the same text in their websites, as they claimed that the opposition coalition endorsing main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the runoff had "told Selahattin Demirtas to be quiet" after Kilicdaroglu started using nationalist rhetoric to win third-place candidate Sinan Ogan's votes.

They said that Demirtas broke his silence when Ogan declared support for Erdogan today.

The hashtag "Selahattin Demirtas" became trending in Twitter after his call to the people for the runoff.

Demirtas has been incarcerated since November over spurious "terror" charges, and denied release in non-compliance with a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.