Turkey's army hints at prosecuting deputy over Kurdish speechFebruary 27, 2009 - 19:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's powerful military suggested on Friday that prosecutors should take action against a Kurdish politician who broke the law by delivering a speech in the Kurdish language in parliament.Kurds have long suffered official discrimination, including a ban on the public use of their language. In 1991, Leyla Zana, a Kurdish politician, caused uproar in parliament when she attempted to take her oath in Kurdish. Her immunity was stripped and she served 10 years in prison on other charges. On Tuesday, Turkey's state television cut off live broadcasting when another politician, Ahmet Turk, addressed members of his Democratic Society Party (DTP) in Kurdish. The ruling AK Party and nationalists have called Turk's speech a "provocation". On Friday, the military, which has a long history of intervening in Turkish politics and is fighting PKK militants in the south-east, weighed in. "Turkey is a country with a rule of law. Everybody has to act in line with the constitution and its laws. It is natural for the judiciary to take steps against those who exceed the boundaries of the law," General Metin Gurak, a military spokesman, told a weekly news conference. As a member of parliament, Turk has immunity from prosecution. Parliament would have to strip him of this before he could face any court case. Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan has said he did not plan to open a disciplinary case. The DTP, which has 21 members in parliament, faces closure by the Constitutional Court on charges it has links to the PKK. Analysts have said Turk's speech was aimed at voters. Turkey holds municipal elections on March 29, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party is aggressively campaigning to win votes from the DTP in the Kurdish southeast of the country. Erdogan has won the respect of many Kurds by using Kurdish words in rallies, and the launch of a Kurdish state channel in January was seen as a breakthrough in expanding Kurdish rights, Reuters reported. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |