Turk prosecutor to make his verbal statement in DTP case

Earlier Turkey's Constitutional Court accepted the request from DTP lawyers for additional time to prepare its verbal defense, and adjourned the hearing from June 26 to Sept.16.    �

Yalcinkaya last year lodged a formal application to the Constitutional Court to close the DTP on the grounds that it had become “a center of activities aimed at damaging the independence of the state and the indivisible integrity of its territory and nation”, after the DTP called for autonomy for Kurds in the southeast of the country.�

After the chief prosecutor makes a verbal statement and the DTP makes a verbal defense, a rapporteur assigned by the Constitutional Court will prepare a report on the merits of the case.

In this phase, the chief prosecutor can submit further evidence and the DTP can submit additional defense material to the rapporteur. The rapporteur's report will then be distributed to court members.

Afterwards, Constitutional Court Chairman Hasim Kilic will set a date and the court will start hearing the case on its merits.

According to the Turkish Constitution, at least seven of the 11 members of the court have to vote for closure in order for the court to rule to close a political party.

Photo: Firat Yurdakul