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CPJ Press Freedom Online - Committee to Protect Journalists
May 24 2013
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Blogger sentenced to jail for insulting prophet
Istanbul, May 24, 2013--Turkish authorities should reverse on appeal
the jail term handed down this week to a Turkish Armenian author and
blogger who was convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
On Wednesday, a criminal court in Istanbul handed a 13.5-month jail
sentence to Sevan NiĆ?anyan in connection with a September 2012 post on
his personal blog that allegedly insulted the prophet, according to
news reports. The court ruled that the blogger had violated a part of
the criminal code by "demean[ing] the religious values held by a
section of the population."
In his post, NiĆ?anyan defended the right of people to make the video
"The Innocence of Muslims," which sparked violent protests across the
Middle East in 2012. He said that speaking disrespectfully about the
Prophet Muhammad did not amount to a hate crime.
NiĆ?anyan's defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.
"Jailing a journalist who addresses a sensitive subject is not
appropriate in a free society," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program
Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "The appeals court should overturn
this verdict against Sevan NiĆ?anyan, which effectively criminalizes
his opinions."
After Deputy Prime Minister Bekir BozdaÄ? asked Turkish prosecutors to
take action against NiĆ?anyan last year, 15 individuals filed a
complaint with the prosecutor's office on March 5.
NiĆ?anyan posted another blog in English on the day of the verdict,
explaining why he wrote the blog in September and defending his
comments. If making fun of the prophet was conflated with hate speech,
NiĆ?anyan said, freedom of speech was in grave danger in Turkey.
Local news accounts reported today that NiĆ?anyan had been threatened
on Twitter. One post, seemingly referring to slain Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, said, "the day is close that you will lie on
the ground with a bullet in your head in front of the Agos [newspaper
offices]. Be smart!"
"We call on Turkish authorities to immediately investigate the threats
against Sevan NiĆ?anyan and bring their perpetrators to justice," CPJ's
Ognianova said.
http://www.cpj.org/2013/05/blogger-sentenced-to-jail-for-insulting-prophet.php
CPJ Press Freedom Online - Committee to Protect Journalists
May 24 2013
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
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d="scan'208";a="1208281922"
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Blogger sentenced to jail for insulting prophet
Istanbul, May 24, 2013--Turkish authorities should reverse on appeal
the jail term handed down this week to a Turkish Armenian author and
blogger who was convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
On Wednesday, a criminal court in Istanbul handed a 13.5-month jail
sentence to Sevan NiĆ?anyan in connection with a September 2012 post on
his personal blog that allegedly insulted the prophet, according to
news reports. The court ruled that the blogger had violated a part of
the criminal code by "demean[ing] the religious values held by a
section of the population."
In his post, NiĆ?anyan defended the right of people to make the video
"The Innocence of Muslims," which sparked violent protests across the
Middle East in 2012. He said that speaking disrespectfully about the
Prophet Muhammad did not amount to a hate crime.
NiĆ?anyan's defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdict.
"Jailing a journalist who addresses a sensitive subject is not
appropriate in a free society," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program
Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. "The appeals court should overturn
this verdict against Sevan NiĆ?anyan, which effectively criminalizes
his opinions."
After Deputy Prime Minister Bekir BozdaÄ? asked Turkish prosecutors to
take action against NiĆ?anyan last year, 15 individuals filed a
complaint with the prosecutor's office on March 5.
NiĆ?anyan posted another blog in English on the day of the verdict,
explaining why he wrote the blog in September and defending his
comments. If making fun of the prophet was conflated with hate speech,
NiĆ?anyan said, freedom of speech was in grave danger in Turkey.
Local news accounts reported today that NiĆ?anyan had been threatened
on Twitter. One post, seemingly referring to slain Turkish Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, said, "the day is close that you will lie on
the ground with a bullet in your head in front of the Agos [newspaper
offices]. Be smart!"
"We call on Turkish authorities to immediately investigate the threats
against Sevan NiĆ?anyan and bring their perpetrators to justice," CPJ's
Ognianova said.
http://www.cpj.org/2013/05/blogger-sentenced-to-jail-for-insulting-prophet.php