Turkish penal code
The Times/UK
January 19, 2008
The UK and the EU must ensure that no one else is killed or persecuted
for expressing their opinions
Sir, Demonstrations in Turkey this weekend, marking the anniversary of
the murder of Hrant Dink, the editor of the Turkish-Armenian newspaper
Agos and a brave advocate for the universal right of free expression,
are a reminder that Turkey must urgently reform its penal code, which
brands those who speak out on certain subjects as `traitors’ and so
makes them targets for extremists.
After referring in Agos to the Armenian massacres of 1915 as
`genocide’, Dink was charged with `insulting Turkishness’ under Article
301 of the Penal Code. He was then shot by an ultranationalist outside
his Istanbul offices on January 19, 2007. His son, Arat, and the
newspaper’s owner were given suspended sentences in October.
Like the many Turkish organisations that believe that true justice for
Dink must include the urgent abolition of Article 301, we are dismayed
at how little has changed in the past year. Writers, journalists and
publishers continue to face charges under 301 and other similarly
divisive articles, receiving frequent threats of violence as a result.
Next week the Turkish parliament will discuss amendments to 301, but
these are likely to prove inadequate, leaving `denigration of the
Turkish nation’ as a criminal offence carrying severe penalties.
Unfortunately, the EU, in its negotiations with Turkey, has insisted on
amendment rather than repeal of these dangerous laws. The UK and the EU
should now do all they can to ensure Article 301 is no longer used as a
tool of repression, and that no one else is killed or persecuted solely
for expressing opinions.
Agnès Callamard
Executive Director, Article 19
Jonathan Heawood
Director, English PEN
Henderson Mullin
Chief Executive, Index on Censorship