Eurocommission Disappointed by Turkish Justice

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.07.2006 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Commission is disappointed by
the verdict regarding Olli Rehn, the European Union’s Enlargement
Commissioner, said. In his words the prison sentence imposed on writer
Hrant Dink is not just a restriction of freedom of expression but
may also set a binding case law for similar cases. Rehn described
Dink’s prison sentence for insulting Turkishness, which was recently
finalized by a Court of Appeals ruling, as "disappointing." "That
judgment is the first final one by the highest jurisdiction in
Turkey about interpretation of Article 301 of the revised Turkish
Penal Code. In this sense, it establishes a binding case law that
will set the trend for lower jurisdictions to follow when applying
Article 301 in the future," he said.

He also highlighted his worry that Turkish courts are not interpreting
existing legislation in line with the relevant EU criteria. "I’d
therefore urge the Turkish authorities to amend Article 301 and other
vaguely formulated articles in order to guarantee freedom of expression
in Turkey. I’d also like to recall that freedom of expression is a key
principle under the Copenhagen political criteria and constitutes the
core of democracy. In any case, the European Commission will review
the situation in light of the Copenhagen criteria in its upcoming
progress report, expected in the autumn," Olli Rehn said, the New
Anatolian writes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress