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AMNESTY HITS OUT AT TURKISH STATE'S STANCE ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The Lawyer, UK
Feb 5 2007
The murder of a journalist in Turkey has brought one of the country's
most controversial laws further into the spotlight.
Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which prohibits "insults to
Turkishness", had three times been used to prosecute Hrant Dink,
an outspoken newspaper editor who was murdered this month.
Editor of the Agos newspaper and a contributor to the influential
daily Zaman, Dink was indicted for articles discussing the genocide
of thousands of Armenians that took place in the final years of the
Ottoman Empire, an incident that is still officially denied by the
Turkish state, which says the deaths were the result of inter-ethnic
strife and famine.
The prosecutions raised Dink's public profile, making him a target
for fanatics and the recipient of death threats, which culminated in
his murder on 19 January 2007.
Article 301's prohibition of insults to Turkishness is seen as a
restriction on freedom of speech and a blot on a penal code that was
supposed to modernise Turkey's legal system. Opponents of the article
claim that the law holds the country back from more than just the
transition to a fully functioning democracy.
Despite significant progress at reform, human and civil rights
continue to be a major stumbling block to Turkey's EU accession. The
high-profile prosecutions of Dink and others have led to criticism
from non-governmental organisations, and further boosted resistance
to Turkish accession from many EU member states.
Amnesty International spokesman Steve Ballinger said: "Nationalist
lawyers use Article 301 as a way of stifling free speech in Turkey.
We think that Article 301 needs to be repealed; and the attitude of
the state and the military contributes to an environment in which
journalists are under threat."
In 2006 alone more than 50 individuals were indicted for statements
that questioned state policy on topics such as religion, ethnicity
and the role of the army.
On 28 February Amnesty International is hosting an event at its
London headquarters to press for the repeal of Article 301. More
details can be found at www.amnesty.org.uk.
The Lawyer, UK
Feb 5 2007
The murder of a journalist in Turkey has brought one of the country's
most controversial laws further into the spotlight.
Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which prohibits "insults to
Turkishness", had three times been used to prosecute Hrant Dink,
an outspoken newspaper editor who was murdered this month.
Editor of the Agos newspaper and a contributor to the influential
daily Zaman, Dink was indicted for articles discussing the genocide
of thousands of Armenians that took place in the final years of the
Ottoman Empire, an incident that is still officially denied by the
Turkish state, which says the deaths were the result of inter-ethnic
strife and famine.
The prosecutions raised Dink's public profile, making him a target
for fanatics and the recipient of death threats, which culminated in
his murder on 19 January 2007.
Article 301's prohibition of insults to Turkishness is seen as a
restriction on freedom of speech and a blot on a penal code that was
supposed to modernise Turkey's legal system. Opponents of the article
claim that the law holds the country back from more than just the
transition to a fully functioning democracy.
Despite significant progress at reform, human and civil rights
continue to be a major stumbling block to Turkey's EU accession. The
high-profile prosecutions of Dink and others have led to criticism
from non-governmental organisations, and further boosted resistance
to Turkish accession from many EU member states.
Amnesty International spokesman Steve Ballinger said: "Nationalist
lawyers use Article 301 as a way of stifling free speech in Turkey.
We think that Article 301 needs to be repealed; and the attitude of
the state and the military contributes to an environment in which
journalists are under threat."
In 2006 alone more than 50 individuals were indicted for statements
that questioned state policy on topics such as religion, ethnicity
and the role of the army.
On 28 February Amnesty International is hosting an event at its
London headquarters to press for the repeal of Article 301. More
details can be found at www.amnesty.org.uk.