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Turkey: Pro-Kurdish DTP parliamentarians
face trial
5.10.2007 |
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October
5, 2007
Ankara, -- Ankara, -- Members of Parliament
from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP)
will stand trial as deputies following a ruling by
the 9th Istanbul High Criminal Court based on a
provision listing an exception to the immunity
normally awarded deputies.
DTP deputies Aysel Tugluk and Ayla Akat will face
trial on their charges. This is the first time in
the history of Turkish politics that deputies in
office have been ordered to trial. According to
Article 83 of the Turkish Constitution, those
elected as parliamentary deputies gain legislative
immunity, freezing all court processes underway
against them until the end of their term in
Parliament, with the only exception being crimes
against the unity of the state.
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Kurdish-DTP deputies Aysel Tugluk (L) and Ayla Akat
(R) |
Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan offered his opinion
on the court ruling on Thursday. “This is what the
constitution calls for,” he said, adding, “We have a
red line. This line is the indivisible unity of the
Turkish Republic and its fundamental principles. Any
attempt to abolish these cannot be tolerated, nor
can it be considered part of freedom of thought.”
However, DTP Şirnak deputy Hasip Kaplan did not
agree. Kaplan claimed that the court’s statement,
which was submitted to Parliament yesterday, was
against constitutional procedure. Kaplan said
legislative immunity could not be lifted unless
Parliament voted to remove the immunity of a
particular legislator.
todayszaman com
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some
of whom openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan
but unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag
is banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it
is a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan ( Kurdistan-Turkey)
wikipedia
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