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ENLARGEMENT : EU WARNS TURKEY OVER SENTENCE AGAINST JOURNALIST
European Report
July 13, 2006
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn reacted with consternation on 12
July to the news that Turkey's appeals court had upheld a suspended
prison sentence handed down to a Turkish-Armenian journalist for
insulting "Turkishness" in an article that appeared in 2004. The
Commissioner said of the latest complication in Turkey's EU membership
bid that he was disappointed by the judgement in the case of Hrant
Dink, saying it limited the exercise of freedom of expression in
Turkey.
It is not the first time that the EU has complained about people
being prosecuted for expressing non-violent opinions in Turkey. But
European Commission officials said the latest development was of
particular concern because, being a final judgment issued by Turkey's
highest jurisdiction, it would establish binding case law for lower
jurisdictions to follow. And there were still a number of similar
court cases pending.
Mr Rehn said the Turkish courts had not succeeded in establishing a
"positive case law" when interpreting the country's new penal code
vis-a-vis relevant EU standards. He urged the Turkish authorities to
amend Article 301 of the code - on which the Dink decision was based -
and other vaguely formulated articles "in order to guarantee freedom
of expression in Turkey". The Commissioner recalled that freedom of
expression was a key principle under the political criteria for EU
membership and "constitutes the core of democracy".
The Commission said it would review the situation in the light of
the political membership criteria in its progress report on Turkey
expected in the autumn. Ankara has been coming under pressure from
the EU to meet obligations towards Cyprus and bring fresh impetus to
accession-related reforms.
European Report
July 13, 2006
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn reacted with consternation on 12
July to the news that Turkey's appeals court had upheld a suspended
prison sentence handed down to a Turkish-Armenian journalist for
insulting "Turkishness" in an article that appeared in 2004. The
Commissioner said of the latest complication in Turkey's EU membership
bid that he was disappointed by the judgement in the case of Hrant
Dink, saying it limited the exercise of freedom of expression in
Turkey.
It is not the first time that the EU has complained about people
being prosecuted for expressing non-violent opinions in Turkey. But
European Commission officials said the latest development was of
particular concern because, being a final judgment issued by Turkey's
highest jurisdiction, it would establish binding case law for lower
jurisdictions to follow. And there were still a number of similar
court cases pending.
Mr Rehn said the Turkish courts had not succeeded in establishing a
"positive case law" when interpreting the country's new penal code
vis-a-vis relevant EU standards. He urged the Turkish authorities to
amend Article 301 of the code - on which the Dink decision was based -
and other vaguely formulated articles "in order to guarantee freedom
of expression in Turkey". The Commissioner recalled that freedom of
expression was a key principle under the political criteria for EU
membership and "constitutes the core of democracy".
The Commission said it would review the situation in the light of
the political membership criteria in its progress report on Turkey
expected in the autumn. Ankara has been coming under pressure from
the EU to meet obligations towards Cyprus and bring fresh impetus to
accession-related reforms.