Kurdish MPs freed

AN APPEALS court ordered a new trial for four former Kurdish MPs convicted of links to outlawed Kurdish rebels, ruling the four did not receive a fair trial in a previous re-trial earlier this year.

Leyla Zana and three other former Kurdish lawmakers were released from prison last month after prosecutors asked for a re-trial. The former lawmakers had served 10 years of their 15-year sentence and will remain free during their re-trial.

Their release came amid European Union pressure on the country to improve its human rights record.