Constitutional Court returns HDP closure indictment to Court of Cassation

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The Constitutional Court has returned the indictment of the closure case against the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation.

The top court ruled on March 31 that the indictment should be returned after finding procedural deficiencies in the indictment.

Today, it returned the indictment with the justification of its decision.

With the indictment, the Constitutional Court also conveyed the justification of its decision to the Court of Cassation. 

The Court of Cassation chief prosecutor failed to prove the relation between the HDP and the acts listed in the indictment, according to the justification.

"... In this context, inclusion of the relevant peoples' acts in the indictment is not enough and the relation with the alleged and the party 'becoming a center' of this acts also needs to be revealed," it stated.

The Court of Cassation chief prosecutor can send the indictment to the top court again after rectfying the defiencies. 

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The Court of Cassation Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on March 17 filed a case with the Constitutional Court, demanding the closure of the HDP and 687 of its members on "terrorism" charges.

On March 19, the Constitutional Court assigned a rapporteur to examine the indictment. The rapporteur on March 30 stated that the indictment should be returned. One day later, the Constitutional Court decided that the indictment should be returned on procedural grounds. (RT/VK)