What is going on in a court of justice in South Azerbaijan?
Abbas Lesani, a political activist, answered to the questions of the new judge of his trial for attending in the 6th Babak Castle Congress on 16 August 2005.
In the pervious trials, Abbas Lesani managed to change the language of the trial to Turkish insistently. Likewise, the language of this trial was Turkish. Let us look at the trial briefly:
Judge: You are accused to activities in favor of

1. Nationalism


2. Separatism


3. Advertisement against the regime

Abbas Lesani: I would like to write my defense.
Judge: Go on please.
Abbas Lesani wrote his defense in Turkish.
“In my view, my arrestment and all of this accusations are illegal and injustice. If I am just being tried for attending in Babak Castle Congress, be bold and announce it formally. In the first stages of the trial, I pointed out and I emphasis now that I have had many activities to defend the rights of people in Azerbaijan and I have a dossier for each of them in the court. I will surely do any activity for the freedom of my people in future. However, for this trial, since I did not do anything in this case, I should say that I do not accept any of these accuses.”
He gave the answers to the judge.

Abbas Lesani

Judge: What are these you have written?
Abbas Lesani: Azerbaijani Turkish!
Judge: Why did you write them? Who gave you the permission?
Abbas Lesani: I do not need any permission to write in my mother and national language!
Judge: You have done a huge mistake by writing these.
The judge was blushed since he was angry and desperate.
Abbas Lesani: If there is punishment for writing in mother language, it is easy to tolerate the hardest punishments of the world!
Judge: You are nothing! You are just pretentious. Remember that you are just a butcher who is working in the bazaar, nothing more!
Abbas Lesani: I am a humble person. Why are you so angry dear judge? And why are you afraid of your own mother language this much? … I should say that I am proud of being a butcher because this job causes that I do not work against my people like some others!
The judge became angrier!
Judge: Start to write some of my words in Persian.
Abbas Lesani: I would do just in Turkish. If you would not like, I will not defend.
Judge: Whereas I am talking with you in Turkish, why do you not write in Persian? You are supposed to respect the law.
Abbas Lesani: Not all laws are fair. Unfair laws should be changed. Moreover, I should say that I could read and write Persian very well. Nevertheless, I am determined to write in Turkish now and this is my obvious right. About that, you said you speak in Turkish and I write in Persian, since neither could you translate well nor I tend to waive my right to write in my mother language, I should say that I do not accept that too.
Judge: You maimed the formal language of the country under your feet and this is a big guilt.
Abbas Lesani: Do you forget 15th and 19th norms of the constitution? Moreover, you know very well that Azerbaijanis, despite the fact that they are Turkish, have been forced to learn and speak in Persian since 80 years ago whereas you do not tolerate writing some Turkish words by me! I spoke in Turkish to show that how much Persian Chauvinism and people like you have negative sensitivity about Turkish language. Let all people see that how there is language cruelty as well as economical injustice in Azerbaijan.
Judge: These words show that you are a separatist!
Abbas Lesani: If speaking in mother tongue and defense for my identity is separatism, I am a separatist! If I could not defend in Turkish I will not defend anymore.
After long and hot debate, the judge asked Abbas Lesani to sign.
Abbas Lesani: I will not sign this since it is written in Persian.
Judge: These are what you wrote in Turkish as well as what you answered as defense for not writing in Persian.
Abbas Lesani: I would sign it on a condition!
Judge: What is that?
Abbas Lesani: I should add some in Turkish.
The judge accepted it desperately. What did Abbas write in the paper?
“You said that my speech in Turkish is enough to prove that I am guilty. Therefore, I write in Turkish and I will write in Turkish in trials in future. I am ready to tolerate the hardest punishments of the world for this. Moreover, perhaps you, dear judge, have never read in the present laws, which have never been executed, that judge should try the accused in his or her mother tongue”.
Source: http://www.azadtribun.com/Fa_12.htm