Should the Supreme Court approve the two years and one month imprisonment sentence asked for jailed BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) MP for Van Kemal Aktaþ, who is accused of “making propaganda for the PKK”, the decision will be the final phase of the trial against the right to immunity.

The Parliament’s stance about this issue will be determinant since the decision on Aktaþ will at the same set a precedent for the cases of other deputies from the BDP and Labour, Democracy and Freedom Block whose case is still on at the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court at present has the files of many BDP and Block deputies including Ahmet Türk, Aysel Tuðluk, Leyla Zana and Selahattin Demirtaþ.

Aktaþ is tried in accordance with Article 14 of the Constitution which overcome parliamentary immunity.

Remarking that an arrest verdict could only be handed down at the end of the parliamentary period, Meral Danýþ Beþtaþ, BDP co-deputy president and party spokesperson on human rights, underlined that the imprisonment sentence for Aktaþ had been given after his being elected as a deputy.

Beþtaþ commented the continuation of the cases against deputies as a critical problem for democratic politics and said that the current situation didn’t comply with democratic standards. Beþtaþ added that; “Even constitutional debates can’t happen in an environment where the freedom of thought and expression are not compromised and deputies don’t enjoy security and freedom.”