TURKEY SET TO AMEND ARTICLE 301

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.11.2007 12:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish government says it will change the
controversial article 301 restricting freedom of expression. Justice
Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said a new bill would be put before the
Turkish parliament in the coming days.

The law being reviewed, Article 301, bans perceived insults to Turkish
identity or the country’s institutions.

It has often been invoked by nationalists against those who argue
the Ottoman Empire committed Genocide against Armenians.

"Several drafts have been prepared in line with proposals by civic
groups. The cabinet will discuss them at first opportunity, select
one and submit it to parliament," Mr Sahin said.

He did not give details of how the law would be reformed.

Earlier on Tuesday the European Commission said restrictions on freedom
of expression were blocking Turkey’s progress towards EU membership.

"It is not acceptable that writers, journalists, academics and other
intellectuals… are prosecuted for simply expressing a critical but
completely non-violent opinion," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli
Rehn said.

"The infamous Article 301 must be repealed or amended without delay,"
he added.

Nobel-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk and Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant
Dink were both prosecuted under the law for their comments on the
mass killings of Armenians.

Hrant Dink was shot dead outside his Istanbul office in January 2007
and his murder revived a debate about the law.

Many said his prosecution under Article 301 made him a target for
radical nationalists, BBC reports.