Pan Armenian News

REASONING OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH TURKEY JUDGES FOR STATEMENTS ON ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE

09.09.2005 06:56

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Foreign Minister reacted to the arousing
condemnation of the trial of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk scheduled for
December 16. `Our courts are independent and people in Turkey are free to
write and say what they think’, Gul stated. To note, criminal persecution of
Pamuk was initiated in February, 2005 when during an interview with Tages
Anzeiger daily he stated that a million of Armenians were killed in Ottoman
Empire and `no one but me dares to say about it.’ According to the Turkish
criminal legislation, Pamuk can be sentenced to deprivation of liberty with
the term of 6 months up to 3 years. The trail set for December 16 has
already aroused indignation of the European community and EU officials. `No
decision has been taken yet. However we would like to tell the whole world
that Turks enjoy freedom of speech. People are free to voice their opinion
unless it is propaganda of violence,’ Andullah Gul said noting that the
positive atmosphere has created thanked to the reforms carried out for EU
membership. Well-known newspapers attended to the legal proceeding initiated
against Orhan Pamuk. Los Angeles Times writes that this court examination
proves `the deliberate attempts of the conservators of the Turkish
government to foil Turkey’s accession to the EU.’ `Turkey should count with
its history. There is hardly a more fundamental principle for the European
Union than freedom of speech’, Financial Times writes, reported by RFE/RL.