TURKEY, — The Kurdish defendants in Diyarbakir and Izmir were not allowed to present their defence in Kurdish language, report said on Saturday.
The Turkish Courts did not allow Kurdish defendants to speak in Kurdish language. While Urfa says defendants could speak in Turkish, Diyarbakir 6th Heavy Penal Court rejected the demands by 50 defendants to present their case in Kurdish. Izmir 10th Heavy Penal Court also rejected the request made by another 10 defendants.
All were being tried for “being members of an illegal organization,” “making propaganda for an illegal organization,” “committing a crime without being a member of an illegal organization.” The defendants refused testify upon the judges’ rejection