COURT REJECTS DEMANDS FOR WITHDRAWAL OF THEIR SENTENCE
ANKARA - The Ankara State Security Court (DGM) no:1 has rejected demands of outlawed Democracy Party (DEP) former deputies Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak for withdrawal of their imprisonment sentence.
Retrial hearing of these four former DEP members started at the Ankara DGM no:1 on Friday.
At the hearing, lawyers of Zana, Dicle, Sadak and Dogan defended that their clients' imprisonment sentence should be withdrawn as their legal situation had changed in accordance with retrial.
Chief Judge Mehmet Orhan Karadeniz said that the demand had been rejected also upon opinion of the prosecutor and they decided to adjourn the hearing to February 20, 2004.
The Ankara DGM no:1 sentenced Dicle, Zana, Dogan and Sadak to 15-year in prison under the Law on Fight Against Terrorism and Turkish Penal Code on charges of carrying out intense separatist activities both in Turkey and abroad upon instructions of the head of terrorist PKK organization.
Retrial of former DEP deputies has started under laws on adjustment with the European Union.
(MS) 16.01.2004