Different decisions on the same language
Güncelleme Tarihi:
ANKARA - An investigation by the Digor Prosecutor’s Office against Cemal Coşkun from the Democratic Society Party, or DTP, for speaking in Kurdish at an election gathering has been dismissed, while a separate, similar case has led to charges.
In the second case, Coşkun was charged by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in İzmir for speaking in Kurdish at a different gathering.
Meanwhile in İzmir
İzmir Prosecutor Zafer Sercan Yetişer filed a case against Coşkun and one other member of the DTP for speaking in Kurdish at an election gathering on March 27, saying that using any language other than Turkish in election propaganda is definitely forbidden by law.
In his testimony, Coşkun said that the current Constitution and laws are incapable of answering society’s needs. The prosecutor’s accusation demands a prison sentence of one to six months for Coşkun. In the Digor case, Public Prosecutor Ömer Tütüncü had initiated an investigation against three members of the DTP, including Coşkun, for speeches made at the opening of an election office in February.
The decision to dismiss the investigation indicated that the reasons for forbidding the use of Kurdish have lost their validity.