ANKARA (AA) - January 17, 2013 - Turkish Parliament will debate a draft on "defense in mother tongue" next week.
Mahir Unal, group acting chairman of Justice & Development (AK) Party, told AA on Thursday that the draft would be discussed on January 22.
If the debates won't conclude, we will continue discussing on January 23 and 24 too, he added.
By amending Article 202 of the Law on Criminal Procedure, the draft envisages to remove a ban on making one's defense statement in mother tongue at courts.
The issue of defense in one's mother tongue or in a language other than Turkish had become a hot topic as some trials became deadlocked, with defendants demanding to deliver their defense statements in their mother tongue.
Last year, hundreds of prisoners announced a hunger strike in protest of the ban on the use of a mother tongue in defense statements.
The draft also gives a chance for married prisoners for private visits with their spouses without the presence of prison staff from three hours to 24 hours and once in three months.
