Kurdish Lawmakers Boycott Parliament

Posted June 23rd, 2011 at 10:15 am (UTC-5)
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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.