Turkish courts refuse to release six jailed politicians elected as MPsJune 27, 2011 - 12:15 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Courts in Diyarbakır, Turkey, have refused to release six jailed politicians elected as deputies in the June 12 elections, barring them from taking their seats in parliament. All six politicians are backed by the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) but they ran in the elections as independent candidates out of fears that the BDP would be unable to pass Turkey's 10-percent election threshold for representation in Parliament. The politicians, İbrahim Ayhan, Gürsel Yıldırım, Selma Irmak, Kemal Aktaş, Faysal Sarıyıldız and Hatip Dicle, are suspects in a court case into the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), an outlawed group believed to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). They are accused of being part of the outlawed KCK organization and the court is demanding up to 15 years imprisonment. The Kurdish block, which won 36 seats, plans to boycott Parliament, which convenes for oath-taking on June 28, unless all the jailed deputies are given the right to join parliament, Today’s Zaman reported.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news U.S. believes peace is “possible” in South Caucasus  The United States continues to believe that peace is possible in the South Caucasus, Vedant Patel said.Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush provinceNarek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28.Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. |
