Children in prison for throwing stones are actually not kids, says Deputy Prime Minister Çiçek
Children in prison for throwing stones are actually not kids, says Deputy Prime Minister Çiçek
Speaking about the sentences handed down to children for throwing stones, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek said “They may be under age but they are actually not children.” Çiçek is in Switzerland to attend the Universal Periodic Review on between 3-14 May.
The Geneva Community Centre stated that Çiçek’s words are “immoral”. Talking about children rights, Çiçek said that “a law proposal about the children who are on trial is on the parliament agenda. New regulations are being discussed to allow that children are being tried at children courts.” Çiçek stated that the children in Kurdish cities aren’t actually children, saying: “It will be useful to bear in mind that in some regions of our country, the birth registration does not always reflect the reality. Some children are adults.”
On the issue of languages other than Turkish, Çiçek defended the use and teaching of other languages and dialects at special courses and the possibility of broadcasting in audio-visual media without any restriction. "The prisoners can freely speak their mother language. Non-Turkish speakers are provided with translators in judicial and public areas. With the amendment on electoral law, it is possible to make propaganda in a language different from Turkish.”
By looking at the last sentences handed down by Turkish courts though is easy to see that the reality is different from that stated by Çiçek, with thousands of journalists, writers, editors, politicians, unionists under trial and sentenced because they used a different language, namely Kurdish.
The Geneva Community Centre stated that Çiçek’s words are “immoral”. Talking about children rights, Çiçek said that “a law proposal about the children who are on trial is on the parliament agenda. New regulations are being discussed to allow that children are being tried at children courts.” Çiçek stated that the children in Kurdish cities aren’t actually children, saying: “It will be useful to bear in mind that in some regions of our country, the birth registration does not always reflect the reality. Some children are adults.”
On the issue of languages other than Turkish, Çiçek defended the use and teaching of other languages and dialects at special courses and the possibility of broadcasting in audio-visual media without any restriction. "The prisoners can freely speak their mother language. Non-Turkish speakers are provided with translators in judicial and public areas. With the amendment on electoral law, it is possible to make propaganda in a language different from Turkish.”
By looking at the last sentences handed down by Turkish courts though is easy to see that the reality is different from that stated by Çiçek, with thousands of journalists, writers, editors, politicians, unionists under trial and sentenced because they used a different language, namely Kurdish.
