Turkish Supreme Court Of Appeals Overturns Conviction Of Former D.E.P. Deputies

ANKARA - Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals overturned on Wednesday conviction of four former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies including Leyla Zana, Orhan Dogan, Hatip Dicle, and Selim Sadak, and ordered the retrial of the case.
Supreme Court of Appeals Ninth Criminal Department Chairman Hasan Gerceker told reporters that the court unanimously overturned the conviction of four former DEP deputies because of procedural violations during the hearing.
In 1994, Ankara State Security Court (DGM) sentenced Zana, Dogan, Dicle and Sadak to 15 years of imprisonment on charges of the Article 168 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) regulating ''membership of an organization.''
The former DEP deputies have served 10 years of their 15-year sentence.
(BRC-AÖ) 14.07.2004