ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish opposition politician Enis Berberoglu, stripped of his parliamentary status last year after a conviction for disclosing government secrets, was restored as a member of parliament on Thursday after a constitutional court ruling.
The court ruled last week that the rights of Berberoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), had been violated and that the lower court should hold a retrial.
Berberoglu regained his status as a lawmaker when the court decision regarding his case was read out in parliament on Thursday.
Parliament stripped Berberoglu of his parliamentary status last June along with two pro-Kurdish MPs when convictions against them became final.
Berberoglu was initially sentenced to 25 years in prison on spying charges in 2017 after being accused of giving an opposition newspaper video purporting to show Turkey’s intelligence agency trucking weapons into Syria.
(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun)
