Turkey's Bold Reforms Fail Imprisoned Legislators

Human Rights Watch today welcomed Turkey's significant new reforms, while expressing disappointment at important steps not taken.
On August 2 the Turkish parliament abolished the death penalty and lifted restrictions on minority language education and broadcasting, including in the Kurdish language. However, the reform deliberately foreclosed legal challenge by Turkey's longest-serving political prisoners, Kurdish former parliamentary deputies Leyla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, and Selim Sadak, whose unfair trial has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights.