Turkey's YSK cancels Dicle's parliament membership

ANKARA- Turan Karakaya, acting president of the Board, said that they decided to drop Dicle's membership after the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the one-year-eight-month imprisonment term for Dicle on charges of disseminating propaganda of the terrorist organization.

"According to the Constitution, those who are sentenced to imprisonment terms of a year or more cannot be elected as deputy. Dicle has lost his chance to become a lawmaker since he was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison," he said.

YSK's decision came after a seven-hour meeting on Tuesday.

Dicle was elected as an independent deputy from the southeastern province of Diyarbakir during June 12 parliamentary elections.

Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office with Special Authority filed a lawsuit on March 31, 2008 against Dicle on charges of disseminating propaganda of the terrorist organization. In 2009, Ankara Criminal Court sentenced him to one year and eight months in prison, but Dicle appealed the verdict. The Supreme Court of Appeals' Criminal Department upheld Dicle's prison term in March 2011.

Dicle is also currently on trial at the 6th High Criminal Court in Diyarbakir as a suspect of the investigation into the terrorist organization's urban branch KCK. He has been under custody since December 2009 as part of the KCK probe.