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Turkey: Parliament Approves Reform Freedom Of Expression

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  • Turkey: Parliament Approves Reform Freedom Of Expression

    TURKEY: PARLIAMENT APPROVES REFORM FREEDOM EXPRESSION

    Agenzia Giornalistica Italia
    April 30 2008
    Italy

    (AGI) - Ankara, April 30 - The Turkish parliament has approved the
    much-awaited reform of the law that limits freedom of expression. The
    article has been used to accuse hundreds of writers (among whom
    Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and writer Elif Safak), the EU had
    also asked to have the article changed.

    Article 301 punished those who "insulted the Turkish identity" with 3
    years in prison. The amendment was approved with 250 votes in favour,
    and 65 against, and substitutes the vague concept of "Turkish identity"
    by "the Turkish nation", and reduced the penalty from 3 to 2 years. The
    clause regarding an insult in a foreign country has been removed;
    and the 'approval' of the justice ministry is needed to start a trial
    against a person accused of violating article 301. The reform should
    keep nationalist prosecutors from accusing intellectuals of criticising
    the Turkish State. In the past two years, 1,800 people have been
    sentenced on this article; among them the Armenian journalist Hrant
    Dink, who due to this trial has become a target of internationalist
    groups and in 2007 he was killed by an adolescent. Many believe that
    the reform isn't sufficient and that the law should be completely
    abolished. But government party 'Justice and Development' suggested
    the reform, unwilling to abolish the article claiming that other
    European countries have similar laws.
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