Kurdish lawmakers on Thursday decided to boycott Turkey's parliament to protest a decision to strip a newly-elected Kurdish politician of his seat.
Turkey's new parliament is due to convene on Tuesday, June 28. The Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party won 36 seats in the 550-seat chamber in last week's election.
Turkey's electoral board took away Hatip Dicle's seat on the grounds that he is in jail on terrorism-related charges for his propaganda on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party .
Dicle's seat was given to a candidate from Turkey's ruling party.