DTP gathers in Diyarbakir

Following Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Diyarbakir earlier this week, the Democratic Society Party (DTP) yesterday held its group meeting in the southeastern city, rather than the usual venue, Parliament. Taking DTP critics to task later, DTP leader Ahmet Turk told reporters that the 1980 military coup had resulted in genocide against both Kurds and Turkey itself and that the PKK had first emerged in this era. He also claimed that any move against Abdullah Ocalan, the convicted terrorist PKK head, is a move against the Kurdish people. He also demanded access for a DTP delegation to Imrali prison, where Ocalan is serving out a life sentence, alluding to claims of mistreatment.