FORMER leading Turkish opposition politician Selahattin Demirtas is set to appear in court today, facing the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence on trumped-up terrorism charges.

Mr Demirtas, who was co-leader of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), is expected to be present at the hearing at the 19th High Criminal Court in Ankara’s notorious Sincan prison.

It will be the first time he has appeared in court in person since June’s presidential and parliamentary elections, which saw President Recep Tyyip Erdogan consolidate his authoritarian grip on Turkey.