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BosNewsLife, Hungary
Feb 1 2007
Turkey's Pro-Armenian Nobel Prize Writer Cancels German Trip Amid
Security Fears
Wednesday, 31 January 2007 (12 hours ago)
By BosNewsLife News Center
Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk (l) cancels trip to Germany
amid security fears. Via Euronews TV ISTANBUL, TURKEY
(BosNewsLife)-- Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk who
criticized the "genocide" of predominantly Christian Armenians
cancelled a trip to Germany Wednesday, January 31, citing "security
fears," after two Christians were tried for "insulting Turkishness."
Wednesday's developments came amid rising religious tensions in
Turkey, linked to the murder this month of prominent Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul. Like Pamuk, he had been critical
of Turkey's treatment of its Armenian and Kurdish minorities.
Both men were tried on a charge of "insulting Turkishness" by using
the term "genocide" to describe the killings of up to 1.5 million
Armenian as well as Assyrian and Hellenic Christians carried out by
Turkish Ottoman forces in the 1915-1917 period.
Turkey's government has denied the figure or the involvement of
Turkish forces in mass killings and rejects the term "genocide" and
no more than 300,000 Armenians perished at the time.
WARNING SHOUTS
As the men accused of involvement in Dink's murder were taken into
court, one reportedly shouted a warning that Pamuk was next on their
hit list. German police say they are unaware of any specific threat,
but the international persecuted writer's group PEN says the death
threat against Pamuk should be taken seriously.
The cancellation of Pamu's German trip also came two days after two
Christians, who converted from Islam, appeared in front of a court in
Silivri, 72 kilometers (45 miles) west of Istanbul for allegedly
insulting the Turkish identity.
They also are reportedly accused under less-known penal statutes of
reviling Islam and secretly compiling private data on Turkish
citizens for a Bible correspondence course.
Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal who reportedly arrived from Istanbul
with their lawyer for the trial amid tight security on Monday,
January 29, have denied the charges.
"ILLEGAL" STATEMENTS
Fatih Kose, 23, reportedly took the witness stand and contradicted
himself several times as to where and when he had heard specific
"illegal" statements, and from which of the two defendants.
"This was exactly a plot, a conspiracy. The youths asked for Bibles,
for brochures, they go of their own accord to church - and then they
come and complain," Defense lawyer Haydar Polat was quoted as saying
by Compass Direct News agency.
Of Turkey's 72 million people, Armenians, Greeks, Syriacs, Catholics
and Protestants who are mostly converted from Islam, as well as Jews
- make up less than one percent of the country, according to some
estimates. (With reports from Turkey).
Feb 1 2007
Turkey's Pro-Armenian Nobel Prize Writer Cancels German Trip Amid
Security Fears
Wednesday, 31 January 2007 (12 hours ago)
By BosNewsLife News Center
Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk (l) cancels trip to Germany
amid security fears. Via Euronews TV ISTANBUL, TURKEY
(BosNewsLife)-- Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk who
criticized the "genocide" of predominantly Christian Armenians
cancelled a trip to Germany Wednesday, January 31, citing "security
fears," after two Christians were tried for "insulting Turkishness."
Wednesday's developments came amid rising religious tensions in
Turkey, linked to the murder this month of prominent Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul. Like Pamuk, he had been critical
of Turkey's treatment of its Armenian and Kurdish minorities.
Both men were tried on a charge of "insulting Turkishness" by using
the term "genocide" to describe the killings of up to 1.5 million
Armenian as well as Assyrian and Hellenic Christians carried out by
Turkish Ottoman forces in the 1915-1917 period.
Turkey's government has denied the figure or the involvement of
Turkish forces in mass killings and rejects the term "genocide" and
no more than 300,000 Armenians perished at the time.
WARNING SHOUTS
As the men accused of involvement in Dink's murder were taken into
court, one reportedly shouted a warning that Pamuk was next on their
hit list. German police say they are unaware of any specific threat,
but the international persecuted writer's group PEN says the death
threat against Pamuk should be taken seriously.
The cancellation of Pamu's German trip also came two days after two
Christians, who converted from Islam, appeared in front of a court in
Silivri, 72 kilometers (45 miles) west of Istanbul for allegedly
insulting the Turkish identity.
They also are reportedly accused under less-known penal statutes of
reviling Islam and secretly compiling private data on Turkish
citizens for a Bible correspondence course.
Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal who reportedly arrived from Istanbul
with their lawyer for the trial amid tight security on Monday,
January 29, have denied the charges.
"ILLEGAL" STATEMENTS
Fatih Kose, 23, reportedly took the witness stand and contradicted
himself several times as to where and when he had heard specific
"illegal" statements, and from which of the two defendants.
"This was exactly a plot, a conspiracy. The youths asked for Bibles,
for brochures, they go of their own accord to church - and then they
come and complain," Defense lawyer Haydar Polat was quoted as saying
by Compass Direct News agency.
Of Turkey's 72 million people, Armenians, Greeks, Syriacs, Catholics
and Protestants who are mostly converted from Islam, as well as Jews
- make up less than one percent of the country, according to some
estimates. (With reports from Turkey).