The Political Group of the United European Left/Nordic Green Left in the European Parliament strongly condemns the decision of December 11 of the Constitutional Court of Turkey to ban the Democratic Society Party – DTP, allegedly because it has developed into a centre of activities against the integrity of the nation and the country. At the same time it has imposed a five-year ban on political activity to thirty seven leading members of the DTP as well as on Leila Zana, a political activist of Kurdish origin and 2004 Sakharov Prize Winner.
The DTP President Ahmet Turk and Vice President Ayse Turgut, were deprived of their parliamentary status. The decision was taken on the basis of the current Constitution that was implemented at a time of great political anomaly in Turkey. This decision brings the country in front of a new crisis, and is contrary to efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution on the Kurdish problem. It further slows down democratization in Turkey and harms its course to EU accession. Our group will continue its struggle against the violations of the rights of the Kurds until that time when the Kurdish citizens of Turkey are granted and are able to enjoy all their individual, political and cultural rights,.
GUE/NGL calls on the EU to refuse to accept this obvious retrocession of democratic institutions in Turkey. We ask the President of the European Parliament to act immediately and call on Turkey to react in a manner compliant to the European Convention on Human Rights and the fundamental democratic rules and institutions.
GUE/NGL PRESS CONTACTGianfranco Battistini + 32 475 646628
Sonja Giese + 32 486 94 50 21
David Lundy + 32 485 50 58 12
