Turk court acquits author
Scotsman, United Kingdom
July 27, 2006
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – In a ruling sure to please the European Union
and human rights groups, a Turkish court on Thursday acquitted an
author and journalist of charges that she tried to deter people from
doing their military service.
Perihan Magden had irked conservatives in Turkey’s powerful armed
forces and judiciary by defending a conscientious objector who was
sentenced to four years in a military jail for refusing to wear
his uniform.
All Turkish men over the age of 20 are required to serve up to 15
months in the armed forces. The law does not recognise the right to
conscientious objection.
Magden had argued Turkey should establish a civilian service as an
alternative to military service, as many EU members have done. Turkey
is an EU candidate country, though it is not expected to join the
wealthy bloc for many years.
An Istanbul court ruled that Magden’s opinions fell within the scope
of freedom of expression and did not constitute a crime under Turkey’s
revised penal code, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.
State prosecutor Kadir Nazmi Yelkenci had himself called for the
acquittal of Magden, it said. Known in Turkey for her novels and
newspaper columns, Magden had faced up to three years in jail if
convicted.
Dozens more writers and journalists face prosecution in Turkey accused
of insulting the state and its institutions. The armed forces are
especially revered as the ultimate guardian of the mainly Muslim
country’s secular political system.
The EU has urged the government to modify articles in the penal code
which make it relatively easy for prosecutors to open cases against
those who question state policy or institutions.
The centre-right government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has so
far resisted EU pressure to alter the articles, saying that freedom
of expression cases rarely result in a conviction.
Earlier this year, best-selling novelist Orhan Pamuk escaped
prosecution on a legal technicality after endorsing claims Ottoman
Turkey committed genocide against Armenians during World War One.
Turkey strongly denies the claims.
But Armenian-Turkish editor Hrant Dink fared less well. This month,
a higher court confirmed his six-month suspended jail sentence over
remarks he made about the genocide claims.
Security outside the courtroom on Thursday was tight.
Ultra-nationalists often hurl abuse and even try to attack defendants
in such human rights cases.
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