Attending PKK militants' funeral not a crime: Euro court
The European Court of Human Rights has sentenced Turkey to pay compensation to a former pro-Kurdish politician over violation of his right to freedom of expression. The court ruled that attending PKK militants' funeral and the subsequent demonstrations doesn't constitute a crime.
Duvar English
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found Turkey guilty in a case that a former mayor from the southeastern province of Batman filed.
Nejdet Atalay was sentenced to 10 months in prison over making propaganda of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on March 28, 2006 via attending PKK militants' funerals and subsequent demonstrations in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
His prison sentence was upheld by the Court of Cassation, prompting Atalay, who was from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), to file a complaint to the ECHR, which ruled that Turkey violated Article 10 - the right to freedom of expression.
The court also fined Turkey to pay 5,000 euros for non-pecuniary damages and 2,000 for costs and expenses.