Case against Turkish ruling party begins

Ankara: A case against the Turkey's ruling party began proceedings on Sunday, with the chief prosecutor in the court calling for the party to be closed down.

Critics of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) which won by a landslide in the last poll have accused it of trying to impose Sharia in the state.

Prosecutor Abdurraham Yalcinkaya argued that the party is spreading anti-secular activity in Turkey and outlined the “clear and concrete'' danger of this in a document presented to the court.

He is calling for the ban of 71 political figures, including Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, from politics for five years.

Turkish media reported that at least 24 nationalists, including two retired generals, were arrested furthering investigation into an alleged coup.

Erdogan said the detentions were linked to a long-running investigation into Ergenekon, an ultra-nationalist and hardline secularist group accused of seeking the coup.

"It is not the AK Party which they cannot tolerate. What they can't tolerate is democracy, the national will, the people's feelings and thoughts," Erdogan said.

An Ankara police spokesman said 24 people had been detained, but could not provide any more information.