28 October 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, İSTANBUL
Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputy Aysel Tuğluk became the first Turkish Parliament member to be sentenced to prison, as Diyarbakir courts sentenced the politician to 18 months in prison for promoting the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Once the court ruling on Tuğluk is approved by the Supreme Court of Appeals, Tuğluk’s Parliament membership will be void, without further need for a vote in Parliament.Tuğluk did not attend the court hearing, which took place in a Diyarbakır court. She was represented by her lawyer, Fethi Gümüş. The prosecution made its arguments at the hearing and asked for a five year sentence for Tuğluk for promoting the terrorist organization, while Gümüş argued that when Tuğluk’s speech was considered as a whole, it did not constitute a crime. After a recess, the court announced its ruling and sentenced Tuğluk to 1.5 years of imprisonment.
