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Ankara Fails to Free 4 MPs

ANKARA -- Turkey's appeals court Thursday upheld sentences against four Kurdish members of parliament jailed last year in a case that has undercut Ankara's bid for customs union with Europe.


However the court also ordered the release of two other Kurdish lawmakers.


The six deputies from the Democracy Party, or DEP, were jailed last year for separatism, largely on the basis of speeches they made in favor of broader Kurdish cultural and political rights.


The court's refusal to heed demands for the release of MP Leyla Zana and three others serving 15-year prison terms could be an impediment for Turkey's goal of a customs deal with Europe, where critics have demanded Ankara release the MPs and improve its human rights record. Euro-MPs are expected to vote on the customs deal in December.


Claudia Roth the leader of the Greens group in the European Parliament condemned the court's decision.

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