Turkey's main opposition parties, lawyers and rights groups demanded the release of Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas on Tuesday following a binding European rights court ruling nine years after his imprisonment.

Demirtas -- a once prominent and charismatic leader within Turkey's Kurdish movement -- was arrested on November 4, 2016, and jailed on suspicion of "terror-related" offences at the height of his political career.

Despite the years spent in jail, the 52-year-old still commands fierce loyalty for his outspoken support of the Kurdish minority and their rights. Western governments see him as a political prisoner jailed after helping briefly break President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on parliament.

The ruling came as Ankara pursues peace with Kurdish PKK militants who have renoun

See Full Page