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Pravda, Russia
Oct 9 2005
EU enlargement chief meets with Orhan Pamuk
05:30 2005-10-09
The European Union enlargement chief met with Turkish writer Orhan
Pamuk at his home in Istanbul, where the two discussed freedom of
expression ahead of Pamuk's December trial for allegedly insulting
the Turkish identity.
A Turkish prosecutor used a clause in the Turkish penal code to open
a case against Pamuk, one of Turkey's most successful writers, for
remarks he made about the deaths of Kurds and Armenians in Turkey.
The clause has also been used in recent days to convict an
Armenian-Turkish journalist, raising concerns about Turkey's
tolerance of free expression.
The EU has said it will be watching closely when Pamuk goes before a
judge on Dec. 16. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, on the third
day of a visit to Turkey following the opening of the country's EU
membership talks on Tuesday, met with Pamuk for around an hour and a
half on Saturday, NTV television reported.
Pamuk said he and Rehn did not discuss the case directly, but talked
about "human rights in Turkey in general," the Anatolia news agency
reported. The 301st paragraph of the new Turkish penal code says "a
person who insults Turkishness, the Republic or the Turkish
parliament will be punished with imprisonment ranging from six months
to three years."
Some prosecutors have liberally interpreted the code and used it to
try those who question Turkey's treatment of minorities, particularly
Armenians and Kurds. On Friday, Turkey convicted Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink under the same clause for an article he wrote
earlier this year in which he mentioned poison and Turkish blood in
the same sentence. The court said the article was "intended to be
insulting and offensive," while Dink said his words were taken out of
context.
Dink, who has lived in Turkey all his life, received a six-month
suspended sentence. He said the conviction was an attempt to silence
him and held back tears as he said on Turkish television that he
would leave Turkey if he could not get his conviction overturned. A
case was opened against Pamuk after he told a Swiss newspaper in
February, "30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians were killed in these
lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it."
He was referring to those killed during Turkey's two-decade conflict
with Kurdish rebels and to Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks around
the time of World War I. Armenians and several country's recognize
those killings as the first genocide of the 20th century, which
Turkey denies.
Rehn also brought a stack of Pamuk's books for the author to sign,
and the two later went out for lunch together at an Istanbul
restaurant, Anatolia said. Pamuk's books, which include the
internationally acclaimed "Snow" and "My Name is Red," have been
translated into more than 20 languages. Pamuk has received numerous
international awards, AP reports.
Oct 9 2005
EU enlargement chief meets with Orhan Pamuk
05:30 2005-10-09
The European Union enlargement chief met with Turkish writer Orhan
Pamuk at his home in Istanbul, where the two discussed freedom of
expression ahead of Pamuk's December trial for allegedly insulting
the Turkish identity.
A Turkish prosecutor used a clause in the Turkish penal code to open
a case against Pamuk, one of Turkey's most successful writers, for
remarks he made about the deaths of Kurds and Armenians in Turkey.
The clause has also been used in recent days to convict an
Armenian-Turkish journalist, raising concerns about Turkey's
tolerance of free expression.
The EU has said it will be watching closely when Pamuk goes before a
judge on Dec. 16. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, on the third
day of a visit to Turkey following the opening of the country's EU
membership talks on Tuesday, met with Pamuk for around an hour and a
half on Saturday, NTV television reported.
Pamuk said he and Rehn did not discuss the case directly, but talked
about "human rights in Turkey in general," the Anatolia news agency
reported. The 301st paragraph of the new Turkish penal code says "a
person who insults Turkishness, the Republic or the Turkish
parliament will be punished with imprisonment ranging from six months
to three years."
Some prosecutors have liberally interpreted the code and used it to
try those who question Turkey's treatment of minorities, particularly
Armenians and Kurds. On Friday, Turkey convicted Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink under the same clause for an article he wrote
earlier this year in which he mentioned poison and Turkish blood in
the same sentence. The court said the article was "intended to be
insulting and offensive," while Dink said his words were taken out of
context.
Dink, who has lived in Turkey all his life, received a six-month
suspended sentence. He said the conviction was an attempt to silence
him and held back tears as he said on Turkish television that he
would leave Turkey if he could not get his conviction overturned. A
case was opened against Pamuk after he told a Swiss newspaper in
February, "30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians were killed in these
lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it."
He was referring to those killed during Turkey's two-decade conflict
with Kurdish rebels and to Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks around
the time of World War I. Armenians and several country's recognize
those killings as the first genocide of the 20th century, which
Turkey denies.
Rehn also brought a stack of Pamuk's books for the author to sign,
and the two later went out for lunch together at an Istanbul
restaurant, Anatolia said. Pamuk's books, which include the
internationally acclaimed "Snow" and "My Name is Red," have been
translated into more than 20 languages. Pamuk has received numerous
international awards, AP reports.