Banned Turkish party to appeal

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit hopes to introduce legislation to make the banning of political parties more difficult

STRASBOURG, France -- Turkey's human rights record is under the microscope again as the banned Islamist Welfare Party and former prime minister Necmettin Erbakan confront the government at the European Court of Human Rights.

Erbakan and two former Welfare vice presidents are accusing Turkey of violating their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion at a time when Ankara is trying to improve its image to join the European Union.

Their case is due to be heard in the court on Tuesday.

Turkey has a long record of banning parties, usually on charges of abetting separatism or Islamist militancy.

It outlawed the Islamist Welfare Party three years ago, months after the party was forced from power by an army-led pressure campaign.

Erbakan, Turkey's first Islamist premier, was eased from power under pressure from the army in 1997 after attempting to introduce mild Islamic reforms.

His Welfare Party was shut down in 1998 for trying to subvert the secular order of the state.

Last year prosecutors backed by the fiercely secular army moved to close down the Virtue Party, saying it was the focus of militant Islam and a reincarnation of the banned Welfare.

Earlier this month Turkey's Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said the constitution may be changed to make it harder to close political parties, easing fears of instability from a ban on the main opposition Islamist party.

The constitutional amendment, backed by all three parties in the coalition government, could have a direct bearing on the future of Virtue.

"We hope that within the coming days a constitutional change making party closures more difficult will be carried out," Ecevit said.

"Past experience has shown that closure of parties has not had a deterrent effect. We are hoping means will be devised that will be more democratic and more efficient."

Turkey's Constitutional Court has delayed deliberations in the case against Virtue and has yet to set a date to re-start the case.

If the constitutional change is passed first the chances of closure could be reduced.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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European Court of Human Rights

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