LEYLA ZANA AND THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Early day motion 176, tabled 17 July 2001 by John Austin (Labour). Signed by 31 members.

That this House welcomes the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that Leyla Zana and three other Kurdish members of the Turkish Parliament were denied a fair trial; regrets these four former MPs have served seven years in prison as a result; calls for the immediate release of Leyla Zana and her fellow Kurdish Democracy Party MPs Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak; and believes that if Turkey does not release these prisoners of conscience immediately they will have shown themselves unfit for consideration for membership of the European Union.

Signatures by party: Labour 27, Liberal Democrat 4.