EU official welcomes use of nother tongue in court

A prominent European Union official says he welcomes changes made to the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK) which allow the use of one's mother tongue in Turkish courts. European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule said in a tweet that he welcomes the changes that allow the use of one's mother tongue in court, a subject which has become the object of heated debate in Turkish politics. The Turkish Parliament adopted a law legalizing the use of languages other than Turkish by defendants if they feel more comfortable expressing themselves in another language. While Fule noted in his Twitter message that he is keen to see a rapid implementation of the law, a Diyarbakir court already allowed a man to deliver his defense in Kurdish on Tuesday. The historic moment took place after the Kurdish man, who speaks Turkish, stated that he would prefer to deliver his defense in Kurdish. Despite the fact that the bill has not yet been approved by President Abdullah Gul, the court's board decided to allow an interpreter in the courtroom as the bill was passed in Parliament last week.