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 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |