Doc. 8212

24 September 1998

Turkish judgment against Mr Tayyip Erdoğan, Mayor of Istanbul

Written declaration no. 282

This written declaration reflects only the views of the signatories

1.       The Mayor of Istanbul, Mr Tayyip Erdoğan, has been convicted by the State Security Court of Diyarbakır, and his sentence was confirmed today. The judgment has become final. He was convicted because of the content of a poem which he read out during a public meeting.

2.       This decision has robbed Mr Erdoğan of his right to stand for election. He has been banned from conducting political activities for the rest of his life.

3.       We, the undersigned, condemn this decision and this treatment of the elected mayor of a city with a population of ten million. This incident gives the distinct impression that the judiciary is used for political purposes in Turkey.

Signed¹:

Atkinson, United Kingdom, EDG

Begaj, Albania, SOC

Besostri, Italy, SOC

Billing, Sweden, EDG

Calleja, Spain, SOC

Carvalho, Portugal, UEL

Chapman, United Kingdom, EDG

Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Columberg, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Davis, United Kingdom, EDG

De Decker, Belgium, LDR

De Puig, Spain, SOC

Fleetwood, Sweden, EDG

Gelderblom-Lankhout, Netherlands, LDR

Gjellerod, Denmark, SOC

Gül, Turkey, EDG

Gusenbauer, Austria, SOC

Gylys, Lithuania, SOC

Hadjidemetriou, Cyprus, SOC

Hagard, Sweden, EDG

Holovaty, Ukraine, LDR

Jansson, Finland, LDR

Jurgens, Netherlands, SOC

Kelam, Estonia, EPP/CD

Kirkhill, United Kingdom, SOC

Kuzmickas, Lithuania, EDG

Laakso, Finland, UEL

Lentz-Cornette, Luxembourg, EPP/CD

Libicki, Poland, EDG

Martínez, Spain, SOC

Mignon, France, EDG

Muehlemann, Switzerland, LDR

Olrich, Iceland, EDG

Prusi, “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, EDG

Ragnarsdottir, Iceland, EDG

Rise, Norway, EPP/CD

Ruffy, Switzerland, SOC

Russell-Johnston, United Kingdom, LDR

Schieder, Austria, SOC

Semyonov, Russia, EDG

Simonsen, Norway, NR

Sinka, Latvia, EDG

Squarcialupi, Italy, SOC

Stepová, Czech Republic, SOC

Sungur, Turkey, EDG

Tahiri, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, EDG

Telgmaa, Estonia, EDG

Upton, Ireland, SOC

Weyts, Belgium, EPP/CD

Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD

Zhebrovski, Russia, NI

Zingeris, Lithuania, EDG

____________________________

      Total :       52

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic and Reformers Group

LDR: Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group