Turkish Daily News
April 19 2008
Bickering overt Article 301 in parliamentary panel
Saturday, April 19, 2008
ANKARA – TDN Parliament Bureau
The Justice Commission in Parliament was the scene of heated
discussions Friday between the government and the opposition over
proposed amendments to articles 301 and 305 of the penal code, which
the European Union says restrict free speech.
Deputies from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP) were up in arms when a police officer attempted
to take the media out of the parliamentary panel. The CHP and the
MHP argue the contentious articles should remain in place.
Opposition deputies asked the police officer to leave and continued
discussing the amendments amid bickering. The ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) is planning to pass the amendments during
the General Assembly next week.
The members of the Justice Commission convened in the meeting room of
the Planning and Budgetary Commission Friday. Before discussing the
proposed amendments, bickering over the media broke out. Commission
Chairman Ahmet Ä°yimaya told cameramen and photo correspondents to
leave the room, while announcing that members of print media may stay,
which drew adverse reactions from MHP deputies.
MHP parliamentary group deputy leader Oktay Vural and commission
member Faruk Bal yelled, "You are blocking the media. You cannot make
a decision on your own. Where is freedom of communication?" Bal said,
"We’ll hold negotiations to free insulting the nation. You are doing
this under the excuse of freedom of expression. The nation must be
aware of this excuse. You cannot prevent the press."
The CHP’s Halil Unlutepe supported Bal and sarcastically asked
whether the ruling party wanted them to leave the room as well. Some
MHP deputies interestingly suggested cameras be given to deputies in
order to record what happened during the discussions.
Police taken out of room
While Ä°yimaya was asking the cameramen to leave the commission,
a police officer from the Parliament’s guard unit intervened in the
incident. MHP and CHP deputies asked who he was and told him to go out
of the room. Unlutepe fought with the police officer, who was taken
outside the room. Vural shouted, "There is no need for despotism. Is
there dictatorship here? There is the freedom of communication."
Vural and his colleagues demanded that the identity of the police
officer must be revealed. Some MHP members asked whether he was the
minister’s guard. "Let the (justice) minister explain who committed
outrage against the deputies and the press."
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin said his guard did not interfere
in such incidents and then called his guard to prove that it had
not been he who interfered in the bickering in the commission. The
debate was concluded after it was agreed that three cameramen and
one photo correspondent would be allowed to follow the negotiations
in the commission, whose images and photos would be distributed to
other services.
Debate rages on
The AKP’s Bozdag also became a matter of discussion. The CHP’s Ali
Rıza Ozturk blamed the AKP lawmaker for trying to influence the
deputies with his gestures during the session. Bozdag accused the
CHP and MHP deputies of shouting at him.
Ozturk answered, "You attempted to beat up a man," referring to some
AKP lawmakers’ move to beat up independent deputy Kamer Genc. "Is it
fair if every party with majority in Parliament applies violence and
wreaks havoc?" Bozdag had to leave the commission upon reactions.
‘Murderer article’
Pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) Å~^ırnak deputy Hasip
Kaplan opposed Article 301 of the penal code. "This is an article that
led to the murder of (Turkish-Armenian journalist) Hrant Dink. The
origin of such an article dates back to fascist Slovenian law,"
he said.
The MHP’s Oktay Vural interfered and said, "The Turkish nation is
united, not a mosaic." Kaplan disagreed and said, "You cannot tell
me I am not a Kurd. I am proud of being a Kurd. You cannot tell me
to oppose my identity."
Bal said Article 301 was an obstacle for those who want Turkey to
negotiate with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He argued
that proposing an amendment to Article 301 was not moral.
–Boundary_(ID_gF1DpTr/rmgzNXiHGEudSA)–