All 6 imprisoned candidates from Block will enter Parliament
All 6 imprisoned candidates from Block will enter Parliament
Labor, Democracy and Freedom Block had run 6 candidates who are currently in jail. All six have been elected to parliament. The six are in prison in the context of the so called KCK (Kurdish Communities Confederation) trial. Thirty six out of the 64 candidates the Block run for the elections have been elected.
The six new deputies in prison are: Hatip Dicle, Selma Irmak, Faysal Sarýyýldýz, Gülseren Yýldýrým, Ýbrahim Ayhan and Kemal Aktaþ.
BACKGROUND TO THE KCK TRIAL
In a series of police operations beginning on 14 April 2009 and referred to in the press as the ‘KCK operations’, 151 people were detained on the basis of alleged links to illegal organizations. These people included lawyers, mayors, politicians, trade unionists, and human rights activists, and were recently brought to trial together in Diyarbakir, Turkey.
As the KCK is alleged to be the civil/political wing of the outlawed group and is, therefore, also an illegal organization. Members of the pro- Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) have been accused of being members of these illegal organizations. Only 15 days after the party’s significant gain in the March 2009 local elections, where it won 50 municipalities, mass raids were carried out at the homes, businesses and offices of mayors, party activists, human rights advisors, lawyers and many others, pursuant to the KCK operations.
The six new deputies in prison are: Hatip Dicle, Selma Irmak, Faysal Sarýyýldýz, Gülseren Yýldýrým, Ýbrahim Ayhan and Kemal Aktaþ.
BACKGROUND TO THE KCK TRIAL
In a series of police operations beginning on 14 April 2009 and referred to in the press as the ‘KCK operations’, 151 people were detained on the basis of alleged links to illegal organizations. These people included lawyers, mayors, politicians, trade unionists, and human rights activists, and were recently brought to trial together in Diyarbakir, Turkey.
As the KCK is alleged to be the civil/political wing of the outlawed group and is, therefore, also an illegal organization. Members of the pro- Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) have been accused of being members of these illegal organizations. Only 15 days after the party’s significant gain in the March 2009 local elections, where it won 50 municipalities, mass raids were carried out at the homes, businesses and offices of mayors, party activists, human rights advisors, lawyers and many others, pursuant to the KCK operations.
