COMPENSATIONS PUNISH OPINIONS
Erol Onderoä~^Lu – [email protected]
BÄ°
25-09-2008
Turkey
While caricaturist Å~^engöz is sentenced to a fine for criticizing
Kocaeli’s mayor with his caricatures, a publisher, a translator and
a historian are sentenced to compensatory payment for publishing a
book about the treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
The Civil Court of First Instance is waiting for the decision of the
Supreme Court of Appeals to prosecute the compensation case against
caricaturist Muhammet Å~^engöz, who was tried for criticizing Kocaeli
Mayor Ä°brahim Karaosmanoglu with his caricatures.
Reacting to the billboards the mayor had planted around the town,
on which imaginary citizens asked the mayor what was his next deed,
Muhammet Å~^engöz’s caricature had an imaginary citizen with his back
turned and pants down, asking the mayor who will be the next person.
The mayor is asking for 5000 euro Karaosmanoglu’s reply was a criminal
lawsuit against the caricaturist, followed by a civil suit for damages
in 5000 Euro.
The caricaturist was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in jail on
September 21, 2007. Having his sentence converted to a fine of 3500
euro, Å~^engöz’s lawyer Suat Temocin appealed the verdict.
The hearing for the damages that was held today will continue on
December 25.
Publisher Erdogdu, Guner and Akcam are sentenced "partially"
Following the complaint by Republican People’s Party deputy and
retired ambassador Å~^ukru Elekdag against the Blue Book, full
title of which was "The Treatment of the Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire between 1915-16" , Pencere Publishing representative Muzaffer
Erdogdu, translator Ahmet Guner and historian Taner Akcam, whose
article appeared in the book, have been sentenced by the court to
compensate the complainant. for the damages The accused plan to appeal
the verdict.
What is the Blue Book?
The book that caused the above trial, which is also known as the Blue
Book, is about the investigation conducted by James Bryce and Arnold
Toynbee for the English government in February 1916 to determine what
happened to the Ottoman Armenians.
The book that had come out at the end of this investigation was printed
in blue cover and dispersed in the English Parliament. (EO/EU/TB)
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