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Turkish-Armenian writer to be jailed after losing appeal in illegal
construction trial
ISTANBUL - Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2013
The Supreme Court of Appeals on Dec. 12 approved the two-year jail
sentence given to the Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist Sevan
Nisanyan, over charges related to an illegal construction in İzmir's
Sirince village, where he lives.
Nisanyan also faces a 13.5-month prison sentence, pending appeal,
after being sentenced last May by an Istanbul court for alleged
blasphemy in a blog post supporting the controversial anti-Islam film
`The Innocence of Muslims.'
The writer will be sent to jail next week, but accused the court of
issuing a =80=9Cpolitically-motivated' verdict.
In a country littered with illegal constructions, Nisanyan said the
court ruling on Dec. 12 was punishment for his outspoken views about
restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey.
"It is politically motivated because in this community, those who try
to be an individuals and stand firm on their ideas have always been
punished," he told Agence France-Presse.
The 56-year old is one of the leading linguists of Turkey, and he
helped turned the village of Sirince into a booming holiday spot after
he bought several ruined Greek houses and turned them into
hotels. Thousands of people from around the world flocked to Sirince
in December 2012, believing the village - where many Christians say
the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven - would be spared from the
predicted Mayan doomsday.
Nisanyan's conviction over his September 2012 blog post defending the
anti-Islam film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad had sparked
outrage among right groups.
"Mocking an Arab leader who centuries ago claimed to have contacted
God and made political, financial and sexual benefits out of this is
not a crime of hatred. It is an almost kindergarten-level test of what
is called freedom of expression," Nisanyan had written. "
His words touched a nerve in the country and he received hundreds of
death threats after the court decision.
On May 22, the day of the sentencing, Nisanyan retweeted his blog post
on Twitter, writing: `Let's share the article that was sentenced to
13-and-a-half months at the Istanbul 10th Criminal Court for insulting
religious blah-blah.'
Nisayan's blasphemy sentence cannot be converted to a financial
penalty because of a previous conviction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
construction trial
ISTANBUL - Agence France-Presse
December 13, 2013
The Supreme Court of Appeals on Dec. 12 approved the two-year jail
sentence given to the Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist Sevan
Nisanyan, over charges related to an illegal construction in İzmir's
Sirince village, where he lives.
Nisanyan also faces a 13.5-month prison sentence, pending appeal,
after being sentenced last May by an Istanbul court for alleged
blasphemy in a blog post supporting the controversial anti-Islam film
`The Innocence of Muslims.'
The writer will be sent to jail next week, but accused the court of
issuing a =80=9Cpolitically-motivated' verdict.
In a country littered with illegal constructions, Nisanyan said the
court ruling on Dec. 12 was punishment for his outspoken views about
restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey.
"It is politically motivated because in this community, those who try
to be an individuals and stand firm on their ideas have always been
punished," he told Agence France-Presse.
The 56-year old is one of the leading linguists of Turkey, and he
helped turned the village of Sirince into a booming holiday spot after
he bought several ruined Greek houses and turned them into
hotels. Thousands of people from around the world flocked to Sirince
in December 2012, believing the village - where many Christians say
the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven - would be spared from the
predicted Mayan doomsday.
Nisanyan's conviction over his September 2012 blog post defending the
anti-Islam film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad had sparked
outrage among right groups.
"Mocking an Arab leader who centuries ago claimed to have contacted
God and made political, financial and sexual benefits out of this is
not a crime of hatred. It is an almost kindergarten-level test of what
is called freedom of expression," Nisanyan had written. "
His words touched a nerve in the country and he received hundreds of
death threats after the court decision.
On May 22, the day of the sentencing, Nisanyan retweeted his blog post
on Twitter, writing: `Let's share the article that was sentenced to
13-and-a-half months at the Istanbul 10th Criminal Court for insulting
religious blah-blah.'
Nisayan's blasphemy sentence cannot be converted to a financial
penalty because of a previous conviction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress