Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

EU Presidency Welcomes Amendment Of Turkish Free Speech Law

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • EU Presidency Welcomes Amendment Of Turkish Free Speech Law

    EU PRESIDENCY WELCOMES AMENDMENT OF TURKISH FREE SPEECH LAW

    STA - Slovenska Tiskovna Agencija
    April 30 2008
    Slovenia

    Ljubljana, 30 April (STA) - The Slovenian EU presidency welcomed
    on Wednesday the decision of the Turkish parliament to soften a law
    restricting free speech, saying this was a constructive step forward
    in ensuring freedom of expression. The presidency added it was looking
    forward to its effective implementation.

    Responding to the amendment of Article 301 in the Turkish penal code,
    which penalises "insults to Turkishness", the EU presidency said
    this was positive for Turkey and an indication of Turkey's continuing
    commitment to the reform process.

    Under the government-sponsored amendment, which was passed on
    Wednesday, the vague term of "Turkishness" was replaced with the
    "Turkish nation" and the envisaged jail term cut down from three to
    two years.

    Article 301 has mainly been used to discipline those challenging
    the official line on the WWI mass killings of Armenians under the
    Ottoman Empire.
Working...
X