Turkish court rejects appeal for release of jailed pro-Kurdish candidate - party

FILE PHOTO - Placards with the images of Selahattin Demirtas, pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party's jailed former co-leader and the candidate for the upcoming presidential election, are pictured during a gathering in Istanbul, Turkey May 4, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish court rejected an appeal on Monday by the pro-Kurdish opposition for the release of their jailed former leader and presidential candidate, the party said, a month before snap parliamentary and presidential elections.

Selahattin Demirtas, who has been in jail for a year and a half on security charges and faces a jail sentence of up to 142 years if convicted, was nominated by his Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) as a presidential candidate earlier this month.