Kurds Challenge Turkey in European Court
Tert.am
14:21 – 23.01.10
Members of a former pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey filed a case
with the European Court of Human Rights, saying the party was shut
down illegally by the government.
The petition filed to the European court in Strasbourg by Hasip
Kaplan, the former head of the Democratic Society Party and now the
head of the Peace and Democracy Party, said the Republic of Turkey’s
Constitutional Court cannot be impartial, as it was established by the
military junta that overran the government on Sept. 12, 1980, Today’s
Zaman reported Thursday.
The Constitutional Court said on Dec. 11 the DTP was guilty of ethnic
separatist action and of having connections to the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party. The court closed down the party and banned 37 members
from further political activity, Zaman reported.
The 78-page petition alleges the Constitutional Court violated rights
such as freedom of expression, organization and assembly, as well as
Kurds’ rights to freedom from discrimination, and the right to free
elections.
Historically, the Strasbourg court has ruled against Turkey’s party
closures and has ruled that the right to organize was violated, Zaman
reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
