KERINCSIZ: THE AK PARTY GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT DARE TOUCH ARTICLE 301
Yusuf Unal Ýstanbul
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 19 2007
As the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government
has signaled its readiness to amend the controversial article 301 of
the Turkish penal code in the wake of the assassination of Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, nationalists have raised their voices
in opposition at a higher volume.
One of these is the lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who brought a legal case
against Hrant Dink, as well as others, under Article 301 for insulting
Turkishness. He thinks Turkey needs Article 301.
During Dink’s funeral procession on Jan. 23, hundreds of thousands
of mourners chanted "We are all Armenians," urged liberal reform,
blamed Kericsiz, and called for the repeal of the law used to convict
Dink on charges of "insulting Turkishness." Banners read "Murderer
Article 301." Slogans such as "We are all Armenians, we are all Hrants"
enraged nationalists and conservatives.
Kerincsiz rejects the argument that he made Dink a target and
he condemns those slogans, not only because he has been accused
of having provoked fanatic nationalists, but he thinks they have
diminished the "glory of Turkishness" especially when they said
"we are all Armenians."
"As a person Hrant Dink was a nice and polite man, but I don’t regret
to have opened the court case against him. I would not hesitate to
do it again if someone else voices the same words against my nation,"
Kerincsiz said.
The AK Party government seems increasingly hesitant to take major
reform steps as elections approach, since making reforms that could
draw the ire nationalist may pose too great a political risk for the
government to handle, analysts say.
Still, the European Union — which Turkey aspires to join — and the
pro-reformist camp at home keep pushing for amendments to Article 301,
which makes it a crime to insult Turkishness, carrying up to three
years in jail.
"AKP government should not and dare not touch 301," he argues. "There
is no consent and support for an amendment in Turkish society." He
also urges the AK Party to hold a referendum on the issue "if they
have self-confidence," he said.
Besides, it is not only Turkey which has such an article in its penal
code as some of the EU countries include such measures, to protect
the nation’s honor from being oppressed, said Kerincsiz. "It is a
double standard when EU urges Turkey to lift the article 301."
–Boundary_(ID_47f3ddIFdktTjn807Dz2Cg) —
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
