NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS CALL ON TURKEY TO ABOLISH CONTROVERSIAL LAW

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
April 12 2007

The open letter also called on Turkey to establish diplomatic
relations with Armenia.

ANKARA – Fifty-three Nobel prize winners have signed a letter calling
on Turkey to abolish article 301 from the Turkish Penal Code and to
open diplomatic ties with neighbouring Armenia.

Haberin devamý

The letter, released on Tuesday, also said that Turkey should halt
what it described as discrimination against religious and ethnic
minorities and acknowledge that the Ottoman Empire committed an act
of genocide against its Armenian citizens during the First World War.

The letter said that article 301 of the Penal Code, which covers
the crime of insulting Turkish identity, has been used to suppress
free speech.

The letter was drafted by David Phillips, an official with the US
based Elie Wiesel Foundation. Phillips said that it was important for
Nobel laureates to join their voices in support of Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation.

"Armenia also should reverse its own authoritarian course, allow free
and fair elections, and respect human rights," the letter said.

"An open border would greatly improve the economic conditions for
communities on both sides of the border and enable human interaction,
which is essential for mutual understanding."

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