Turkish party ban censured

Stockholm - The EU, the Council of Europe and Germany voiced disapproval yesterday at the decision of the Turkish constitutional court to ban the pro-Islamic Virtue Party, Turkey's main opposition party. During a visit to Ankara, German Justice Minister Ms Herta Daeubler-Gmelin reacted to the judgment by saying: "With all due respect to the court, it was a very unpleasant surprise." Ms Daeubler-Gmelin is also due to tour Turkey's notorious jails. Twenty-three people have died on hunger strike since last October in protest against new cells, which inmates say would leave them isolated and vulnerable to ill-treatment by prison guards.