On December 11, 2009, the Constitutional Court of Turkey voted to ban the Democratic Society Party (DTP) after finding the party to have been cooperating with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), a separatist group designated as a terrorist organization. The vote occurred after the PKK claimed responsibility for killing six Turkish soldiers. The court held that the DTP was banned under Articles 68 and 69 of the Turkish Constitution and the Political Parties Law. DTP leaders were expelled from the Grand National Assembly, in which the DTP, the largest pro-Kurdish party, held 21 seats. The remaining 19 members could have maintained their seats as independents, but boycotted the legislative session. The EU issued a statement of concern saying the ruling was an "obstacle to democratization."


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Learn more about Turkey's EU accession bid from the JURIST news archive, and more about the Kurdistan Workers Party from the Council on Foreign Relations.

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