Abdullah Demirbaş used to be mayor of the Sur municipality in Diyarbakır. During his time in office he offered multilingual municipal services, for which he had to leave his post. The municipal council was also dissolved.

Now the state is looking for Kurdish-speaking health and religious personnel, as well as planning to stage Kurdish-language plays in state theatres.

Demirbaş says that despite the hypocrisy, he is hopeful about a solution to the Kurdish question.

Still on trial

Demirbaş is still on trial for CDs, books, brochures and magazines published in languages other than Turkish during his time in office. He will be in court again today (25 May) for "abusing his position" and "violating the Law on Turkish letters".

Services reeestablished

In the local elections of 29 March, Demirbaş was reelected mayor, with more votes than before. He continues to offer multi-lingual services: "When I was taken from the post, the multi-language services at our phone line were stopped, but we have restarted. We publish a children's magazine in Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Syriac and Arabic, of which a new issue has just come out. We prepared story books for children in Kurdish with the support of the Belgian Kurdish Institute and the Belgian Ministry of Culture."

"At the entrance of our munical office, two staff welcome people in Turkish and Kurdish and help them to find the relevant department. We have also trained our staff in Turkish and English."

"Local authorities must be inclusive"

Demirbaş emphasised that there were many people living in Diyarbakır who did not speak Turkish: "Local authorities are the institution closest to people. In order for services to be understood, effective and fruitful, they have to be in a language that people understand. Public services in a language that the citizens do not understand exclude people."

Commenting on plans by the government to offer services in Kurdish, he said, "I hope this will contribute to the development of social peace in Turkey."

Demirbaş said that people were happy with multilingual services. "In 2004, I was elected with 56 percent of the vote. On 29 March (2009), I received 66 percent of the vote. If people had found it wrong, they would not have voted like that."

The former and current mayor also faces a trial for referring to Abdullah Öcalan as "Esteemed Öcalan". He faces a prison sentence, and has filed an appeal. If the Supreme Court of Appeals ratifies the sentence, he will lose public rights.

In a similar case, the Istanbul 8th Criminal Court of First Instance acquitted Mehdi Tanrıkulu and Hasan Özgüneş for referring to Öcalan as "Esteemed Öcalan." (TK/AG)