ANKARA - Ankara State Security Court (DGM) decided on Friday that Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak, the former deputies of the Democracy Party (DEP) should remain in prison and it would examine the files of the retrial.
The 13th trial of former deputies of DEP was completed.
Lawyer of suspects Yusuf Alatas claimed that the file did not cover the elements of terrorist organization membership and asked the court delegation to decide without personal verdicts. He claimed that the decision would show whether law system and democracy were functioning or not in the aspects of political opponents and thus the decision was very important.
Alatas said that his clients had been in prison for more than ten years and one month and wanted the decision to be taken by considering this.
Alatas asked for acquittal of his clients.
Public Prosecutor Dilaver Kahveci wanted the rejection of the request of convicts for annulment of their imprisonment sentence.
The court decided to examine the file and the hearing of the case was adjourned to April 21.
Previously, Ankara DGM sentenced Dicle, Zana, Dogan and Sadak to 15 years in prison in accordance with Article 168-2 of the Turkish Penal Code and Article 3713 of the Anti-Terrorism Law on charges of ''staging separatist activities both in Turkey and abroad in line with orders and directives of leaders of the terrorist organization PKK''.
All four defendants were stripped of their parliamentary immunity, arrested and convicted in 1994 of having links to the terrorist organization of PKK.
(GC-AÖ) 02.04.2004