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AZ Central.com, AZ
July 27, 2006
Turkish court acquits author of charges of turning people against
military service
ANKARA, Turkey - A Turkish writer was acquitted Thursday of turning
people against military service by defending a conscientious objector
in her weekly magazine column. Human rights groups hailed the
decision as a victory for freedom of expression in Turkey.
A court in Istanbul ruled that Perihan Magden's article amounted to
"heavy criticism conveyed within the scope of freedom of expression"
and did not constitute a crime.
Turkish authorities have put a string of Turkish writers and
journalists on trial for expressing opinions, despite pressure from
the European Union - which Turkey hopes to join - to scrap repressive
laws. advertisement
Author Elif Safak, a University of Arizona assistant professor, was
recently charged with "insulting Turkishness" based on the lines
uttered by fictional Armenian characters in her novel "The Bastard of
Istanbul."
Magden is the second defendant to be acquitted in recent months. A
court in November acquitted Internet journalist Rahmi Yildirim of
charges of insulting the military.
Magden faced up to three years in prison if convicted.
In her column, published in the weekly Yeni Aktuel magazine in
December, Magden defended conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan, who
was sentenced to a record four-year term in a military prison for
disobedience after refusing to wear his military uniform. She argued
that Turkey needed to establish a civilian service as an alternative
to compulsory military conscription.
Conscription in Turkey is obligatory for men over 20, and the country
does not recognize the right to conscientious objection. Objectors
also have been prosecuted on charges of turning people against the
military.
Rights groups praised Thursday's verdict.
The lack of "press freedoms had become unbearable in recent months
and put Turkey in a humiliating position," said Ahmet Abakay, the
head of the Contemporary Journalists' Association.
"I want to congratulate the judge who made this decision. It should
be an example to other judges and prosecutors."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has said it has no
plans to change laws governing expression, saying that inappropriate
charges are eventually dropped and defendants are acquitted.
EU officials argue that even if the charges are dropped, the threat
of prosecution remains a deterrent to people freely expressing their
opinions.
A Turkish court dropped charges last year against Orhan Pamuk, one of
the country's most famous novelists, who faced trial on charges of
insulting "Turkishness" for commenting on the mass killings of
Armenians by Turks around the time of World War I. The charges were
dropped for technical reasons amid intense international pressure.
Earlier this month, a high court confirmed a six-month prison
sentence imposed on Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink for
attempting to influence the judiciary after his newspaper ran
articles criticizing the law that makes it a crime to insult
Turkishness. Dink's sentence was postponed. (AP)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
July 27, 2006
Turkish court acquits author of charges of turning people against
military service
ANKARA, Turkey - A Turkish writer was acquitted Thursday of turning
people against military service by defending a conscientious objector
in her weekly magazine column. Human rights groups hailed the
decision as a victory for freedom of expression in Turkey.
A court in Istanbul ruled that Perihan Magden's article amounted to
"heavy criticism conveyed within the scope of freedom of expression"
and did not constitute a crime.
Turkish authorities have put a string of Turkish writers and
journalists on trial for expressing opinions, despite pressure from
the European Union - which Turkey hopes to join - to scrap repressive
laws. advertisement
Author Elif Safak, a University of Arizona assistant professor, was
recently charged with "insulting Turkishness" based on the lines
uttered by fictional Armenian characters in her novel "The Bastard of
Istanbul."
Magden is the second defendant to be acquitted in recent months. A
court in November acquitted Internet journalist Rahmi Yildirim of
charges of insulting the military.
Magden faced up to three years in prison if convicted.
In her column, published in the weekly Yeni Aktuel magazine in
December, Magden defended conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan, who
was sentenced to a record four-year term in a military prison for
disobedience after refusing to wear his military uniform. She argued
that Turkey needed to establish a civilian service as an alternative
to compulsory military conscription.
Conscription in Turkey is obligatory for men over 20, and the country
does not recognize the right to conscientious objection. Objectors
also have been prosecuted on charges of turning people against the
military.
Rights groups praised Thursday's verdict.
The lack of "press freedoms had become unbearable in recent months
and put Turkey in a humiliating position," said Ahmet Abakay, the
head of the Contemporary Journalists' Association.
"I want to congratulate the judge who made this decision. It should
be an example to other judges and prosecutors."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has said it has no
plans to change laws governing expression, saying that inappropriate
charges are eventually dropped and defendants are acquitted.
EU officials argue that even if the charges are dropped, the threat
of prosecution remains a deterrent to people freely expressing their
opinions.
A Turkish court dropped charges last year against Orhan Pamuk, one of
the country's most famous novelists, who faced trial on charges of
insulting "Turkishness" for commenting on the mass killings of
Armenians by Turks around the time of World War I. The charges were
dropped for technical reasons amid intense international pressure.
Earlier this month, a high court confirmed a six-month prison
sentence imposed on Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink for
attempting to influence the judiciary after his newspaper ran
articles criticizing the law that makes it a crime to insult
Turkishness. Dink's sentence was postponed. (AP)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress