Turkey’s top prosecutor on Thursday filed a case to close the country’s main Kurdish party, just minutes after the constitutional court outlawed a sister party. The state-run Anatolian news agency said chief prosecutor Sabih Kanadoglu had asked the constitutional court to outlaw the Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP). The details of the charges were not immediately available. The constitutional court earlier on Thursday ruled to outlaw the People’s Democracy Party (HADEP) for links to armed Kurdish rebels. The two parties are closely related and HADEP backed DEHAP in the November general elections. The party secured wide support in the mainly Kurdish southeast, but failed to win any seats in parliament. DEHAP will be the latest in a long line of political parties that have been outlawed in Turkey despite criticism from Western allies concerned for democracy in the NATO ally and European Union candidate. Constitutional court chief Judge Mustafa Bumin told reporters the court had found that HADEP had “aided and abetted a terrorist organization,” a reference to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Full Story
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