drogon Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Following a recent discussion about LOS and some board members asking if there were other "stupid" laws out there.... -> this is Turkey, country wishing to enter the EU (I think seriously of getting Korean nationality if it ever happens in a near future) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7909242.stm --------------------------------------------- MP breaks language law in Turkey By Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Silopi, Turkey Ahmet Turk shown giving the speech in the Turkish parliament, 24 February 2009 Mr Turk's speech was cut on live TV A prominent Kurdish politician has defied Turkish law by giving a speech to parliament in his native Kurdish. Ahmet Turk was addressing his party in parliament when he suddenly switched language from Turkish to Kurdish. The live broadcast on state TV was immediately cut, as the language is banned in parliament. Some one-fifth of Turkey's population are ethnic Kurds, but speaking Kurdish in public was banned until the 1990s, as it was seen as a threat to unity. The Kurdish language is, however, still banned in all state institutions and official correspondence. Fight for votes When Mr Turk defied the law, party members gave him a standing ovation. There was praise from Kurds here in the south east too - where people described the speech as a brave move, long overdue. They also called for all restrictions on the use of Kurdish to be lifted. Ahmet Turk's party - the DTP - is already facing closure, accused of fuelling separatism, and his speech in Kurdish could well strengthen the case against it. All this reflects the mounting fight for Kurdish votes in next month's important local elections. The governing AK party has set its sights on winning in this region - and points to a new state TV channel in Kurdish as proof of its good intentions. But many Kurds insist there is little real change here yet. While Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently spoke Kurdish on the campaign trail to attract their votes, when ethnic Kurdish politicians use their mother tongue they are still prosecuted on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 What happens if you speak Armenian in public? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelgianBoy Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 be lenient, one of their planes just crashed hours ago in Holland..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I think one really stupid law is paying taxes. The jack that came up with that idea should be drawn and quartered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 Shouldn't it be "Hanged, drawn and quartered"? High treason crime you think the tax system is? :hubba: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartThais Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 So what happened to the Turk? Was he jailed? For me it is less a matter of having stupid laws on the books and more about how they are enforced. http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~jimella/laws01.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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