Turkey - party ban

Pro-Kurd party quits parliament after ban

Article published on the 2009-12-12 Latest update 2009-12-12 15:08 TU

Constitutional Court Chairman Hasim Kilic announces the ban to the press
(Photo: Reuters)

MPs from Turkey's Democratic Society Party (DTP) said Saturday that they will boycott parliament. They were responding to Friday's decision by the Constitutional Court to ban their party, claiming that it is a "focal point" for Kurdish separatism and linked to the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK.

Hundreds of demonstrators hit the streets of cities in the Kurdish-majority south-east after the ban was announced.

Protesters in Diyarbakir and Hakkari chanted "revenge" and attacked buildings associated with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and official buildings. But a heavy police presence prevented the demonstrations spreading.

In the country's biggest city, Istanbul, which has a large Kurdish population, about 100 protesters gathered at the DTP's office, brandishing a banner saying, "An end to the attacks on the Kurdish people!".

The unanimous verdict by 11 judges was reached after four days of deliberation.

It also stripped DTP Chair Ahmet Turk and fellow MP Aysel Tuglok of their parliamentary seats and banned them and 35 otrher party members from any political activity for five years.

All the party's assets will be seized, Constitutional Court Hasim Kilic announced.

Turk hit back at the ban, declaring that it will not help efforts to end the PKK's 25-year rebellion.

"Turkey cannot resolve the problem by closing down parties," he said and warned that there may be unrest in the Kurdish community.

Turkey's chief prosecutor started the case against the DTP in 2007, despite government efforts to involve its leaders in attempts to resolve the Kurdish question. 

The party denies "organic links" with the PKK but refuses to call it "terrorist" as the government and the US do. It was founded in 2005 after the banning of several other Kurdish parties.

"Everybody's saying the timing is very unfortunate," comments dyarbakir correspondent Yilmaz Akinci.  

"For the first time we've seen radical changes in the name of solving this Kurdish issue but, unfortunately, this decision creates a big barrier on this process."

The European Union has condemned the ban.

It may disrupt Turkey's attempts to join the EU, which, despite declaring oppositon to the PKK, has expressed concern over Kurdish rights and atrocities committed during the fight with the separatist guerrillas.