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Turkey: Kurdish DTP party complains of
unequal treatment in Parliament
12.3.2008
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March 12, 2008
Ankara, Turkey,-- The pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party (DTP) has complained of unequal
treatment in Parliament, arguing that double
standards have been applied to its 20 deputies over
the immunity enjoyed by parliamentarians.
A delegation led by Ahmet Türk, the DTP's
parliamentary group deputy leader,www.ekurd.net
visited President
Abdullah Gül Tuesday and Parliament Speaker Köksal
Toptan late Monday to express the party's unease
with the situation.
According to Türk, the judiciary ignores the DTP
deputies' right to immunity and continues to
prosecute them without waiting for a waiver from
Parliament. Turkish lawmakers who enjoy broad
immunity rights are exempted from any prosecution
unless Parliament lifts his or her immunity. Many
DTP deputies face legal proceedings over their
statements on the Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) and its imprisoned Kurdish
rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan. |
The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP)
deputy Ahmet Turk |
“A different
implementation has been applied to our deputies. The
judiciary carries on with the suits without
Parliament's consent. It is clearly in violation of
Turkish law,” Türk said, speaking to reporters late
Monday.
But Toptan, instead of pacifying the DTP delegation,
advised them to control the rhetoric of party
officials outside Parliament especially those on the
PKK's "terrorist" activities. The DTP refuses to
denounce the PKK's terrorism and calls on the
government to negotiate with the PKK organization.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. A
large Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise
with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
the Ankara, U.S. and the EU.
turkishdailynews com.tr | AFP
**
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 25 million ethnic Kurds, a
large Turkey's Kurdish community 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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