This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7688069.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| PM 'undermined' Turkey secularism | PM 'undermined' Turkey secularism |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was involved in anti-secular activities, says the country's top court explaining it did not ban his governing AK Party. | Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was involved in anti-secular activities, says the country's top court explaining it did not ban his governing AK Party. |
| In July, the Constitutional Court imposed financial sanctions on the AKP for undermining secular principles. | In July, the Constitutional Court imposed financial sanctions on the AKP for undermining secular principles. |
| The ruling says Mr Erdogan and other AKP leaders had broken those principles but had not promoted violence. | The ruling says Mr Erdogan and other AKP leaders had broken those principles but had not promoted violence. |
| The case pitted the secular elite against the AKP. It denies it wants to create an Islamist state by stealth. | |
| The party, which has Islamist roots, won re-election in polls last year. | The party, which has Islamist roots, won re-election in polls last year. |
| Funding cut | Funding cut |
| In their ruling published on Friday, the judges cited the AKP's efforts to promote religious education and its aborted attempt to abolish a ban on wearing headscarves in universities as violations of secular principles. | In their ruling published on Friday, the judges cited the AKP's efforts to promote religious education and its aborted attempt to abolish a ban on wearing headscarves in universities as violations of secular principles. |
| Religious matters have been "turned into central issues in politics at a scale leading to social divisions", the document said. | Religious matters have been "turned into central issues in politics at a scale leading to social divisions", the document said. |
| The court, however, stressed that the AKP had also undertaken reforms to improve human rights. | The court, however, stressed that the AKP had also undertaken reforms to improve human rights. |
| "It is obvious the party has used the powers of government to bring the country in line with the standards of modern Western democracies," it said. | "It is obvious the party has used the powers of government to bring the country in line with the standards of modern Western democracies," it said. |
| Explaining why it had rejected prosecutors' demands to ban the AKP, the court said there was no evidence that the party had been seeking to undermine securalism through violence. | Explaining why it had rejected prosecutors' demands to ban the AKP, the court said there was no evidence that the party had been seeking to undermine securalism through violence. |
| As a result, the court said, the party had been stripped of half of the state funds it was entitled to this year. | As a result, the court said, the party had been stripped of half of the state funds it was entitled to this year. |