Constitutional Court to conduct first review in case seeking HDP’s closure

ANKARA

Turkey’s Constitutional Court will conduct its first examination on June 21 in a case filed for the closure of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

A Constitutional Court rapporteur will complete his examination of the indictment and present it to the delegation, and at the meeting to be held on June 21, they will decide whether the indictment will be accepted or not.

At this meeting, the political ban in the indictment and the request to block the bank account containing treasury aid will also be discussed. If the indictment is accepted, it will be sent to the HDP for a preliminary defense.

Then, Chief Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals Bekir Şahin will present his opinion on the merits. After the prosecutor’s oral statement and the HDP’s oral defense, the rapporteur will prepare his report on the merits and decide on the court’s closure request.

An indictment penned by the chief prosecutor for the closure of the HDP demands that 451 party members be barred from doing politics on charges of violating the constitution.

“In addition, 69 party members are also listed in the indictment because of their pro-terror statements,” Şahin told the reporters on June 10 in Antalya on the sidelines of a conference.

Şahin refiled the indictment seeking the dissolution of the HDP on June 7 after his first appeal was returned by the Constitutional Court due to missing details. The indictment calls the HDP an undemocratic party that colludes with the terrorist group PKK and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.