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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 1 2009
Prison terms to be handed down for hate crimes
Perpetrators of hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race,
color, religion or national origin will receive a sentence of up to
one year in prison in accordance with a planned amendment to the
Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
Parliament has decided to expand the scope of Article 122 of the TCK,
which prohibits discrimination on the basis of language, race, color,
sex, disability, political views, philosophical beliefs, religion,
sect or similar reasons. In accordance with the planned amendment,
perpetrators of hate crimes -- those who discriminate against others
due to their race, color, religion or origin -- will be sentenced to
between six months and one year in prison. The decision to make an
amendment to said article comes in the wake of debates over reckless
statements made by a Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy about the
ethnic roots of President Abdullah Gül.
Earlier this month, CHP İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman
harshly criticized Gül for not objecting to an apology campaign
launched by Turkish intellectuals over the killings of Anatolian
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, which Armenians
claim constituted genocide. Arıtman said Gül was
rubberstamping the campaign because of his ethnic origin. `We see that
the president supports this campaign. Abdullah Gül should be
the president of the entire Turkish nation, not just of those sharing
his ethnicity. Investigate the ethnic origin of the president's
mother, and you will see,' she said.
Arıtman drew the ire of many, who harshly criticized her for
her racist discourse. The CHP administration, however, failed to
impose any sanctions on Arıtman to stop her from making other
reckless statements.
In accordance with the planned amendment, those who insult and
discriminate against others by calling them `Armenian offspring,'
`seed of a Greek,' `child of Greeks,' `filthy gypsy,' `homosexual,'
`cowardly Jew,' `terrorist Kurd,' etc., will face up to one year in
prison for having committed a hate crime. Such words are not permitted
in written documents as a means to insult others either.
Turkey's fight against discriminatory attitudes toward different
groups in society started years ago. The Turkish Language Society
(TDK) helped remove discriminatory statements against Alevis, Roma,
Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and Russians from schoolbooks.
OSCE report mentions hate crimes in Turkey
Hate crimes in Turkey were included in an annual Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report in 2006. According to
the report, a number of attacks against Christians took place in
Turkey. In January 2006, a Protestant leader and convert was attacked
by a group of youngsters who also uttered death threats. A 61-year-old
Catholic priest was shot dead while praying in his church in February
2006 in the northern city of Trabzon. Five days after the incident, a
Roman Catholic priest from Italy was attacked by a youth at a church
in Ä°zmir.
The OSCE noted that only 15 out of 56 countries in the OSCE region
fight against discrimination toward different groups in an effective
manner. It also said the frequency of hate crimes being committed in
the world increases every passing year, and Turkey is shown among the
countries where hate crimes are committed most. Legislators claim that
if Turkey had developed a sound mechanism of combating hate crimes,
the country would not have witnessed a series of assaults against
different groups, including a fire at the Madımak Hotel, in
which many Alevis lost their lives, and the killing of
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.
01 January 2009, Thursday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA
Jan 1 2009
Prison terms to be handed down for hate crimes
Perpetrators of hate crimes committed on the basis of a person's race,
color, religion or national origin will receive a sentence of up to
one year in prison in accordance with a planned amendment to the
Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
Parliament has decided to expand the scope of Article 122 of the TCK,
which prohibits discrimination on the basis of language, race, color,
sex, disability, political views, philosophical beliefs, religion,
sect or similar reasons. In accordance with the planned amendment,
perpetrators of hate crimes -- those who discriminate against others
due to their race, color, religion or origin -- will be sentenced to
between six months and one year in prison. The decision to make an
amendment to said article comes in the wake of debates over reckless
statements made by a Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy about the
ethnic roots of President Abdullah Gül.
Earlier this month, CHP İzmir deputy Canan Arıtman
harshly criticized Gül for not objecting to an apology campaign
launched by Turkish intellectuals over the killings of Anatolian
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, which Armenians
claim constituted genocide. Arıtman said Gül was
rubberstamping the campaign because of his ethnic origin. `We see that
the president supports this campaign. Abdullah Gül should be
the president of the entire Turkish nation, not just of those sharing
his ethnicity. Investigate the ethnic origin of the president's
mother, and you will see,' she said.
Arıtman drew the ire of many, who harshly criticized her for
her racist discourse. The CHP administration, however, failed to
impose any sanctions on Arıtman to stop her from making other
reckless statements.
In accordance with the planned amendment, those who insult and
discriminate against others by calling them `Armenian offspring,'
`seed of a Greek,' `child of Greeks,' `filthy gypsy,' `homosexual,'
`cowardly Jew,' `terrorist Kurd,' etc., will face up to one year in
prison for having committed a hate crime. Such words are not permitted
in written documents as a means to insult others either.
Turkey's fight against discriminatory attitudes toward different
groups in society started years ago. The Turkish Language Society
(TDK) helped remove discriminatory statements against Alevis, Roma,
Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and Russians from schoolbooks.
OSCE report mentions hate crimes in Turkey
Hate crimes in Turkey were included in an annual Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) report in 2006. According to
the report, a number of attacks against Christians took place in
Turkey. In January 2006, a Protestant leader and convert was attacked
by a group of youngsters who also uttered death threats. A 61-year-old
Catholic priest was shot dead while praying in his church in February
2006 in the northern city of Trabzon. Five days after the incident, a
Roman Catholic priest from Italy was attacked by a youth at a church
in Ä°zmir.
The OSCE noted that only 15 out of 56 countries in the OSCE region
fight against discrimination toward different groups in an effective
manner. It also said the frequency of hate crimes being committed in
the world increases every passing year, and Turkey is shown among the
countries where hate crimes are committed most. Legislators claim that
if Turkey had developed a sound mechanism of combating hate crimes,
the country would not have witnessed a series of assaults against
different groups, including a fire at the Madımak Hotel, in
which many Alevis lost their lives, and the killing of
Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.
01 January 2009, Thursday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA