The People’s Democracy Party (Hadep) has been banned by Turkey’s constitutional court for alleged involvement with the separatist Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). The court banned 46 members of the party from participating in politics for five years. Hadep denies aiding PKK, which is outlawed after waging a 15-year war for independence against Turkey. Hadep describes itself as defending the rights of the inhabitants of the largely Kurdish southeastern part of the country. As one part of its rationale for a possible invasion of Iraq, Turkey claims that PKK fighters are still hiding in Iraqi Kurdistan.
