TURKISH PARLIAMENT VOTES TO CHANGE ARTICLE 301

armradio.am
30.04.2008 10:38

Turkey’s parliament has approved the softening of a law criticized
by the EU for limiting free speech.

Article 301 of the penal code has been used to prosecute Nobel Prize
winner Orhan Pamuk and other intellectuals.

Since 2003, hundreds of people have been tried under the controversial
law for "insulting Turkishness."

However, critics argue the amendments do not go far enough. Insulting
the Turkish nation will still be a crime, punishable by two years
in jail.

Parliament voted 250-65 in favor of a government-backed proposal to
make changes to the law late on Tuesday night.

Under the reformed law: â~@¢ It will be a crime to insult the Turkish
nation, rather than Turkishness.

â~@¢ The justice minister will be required to open each case.

â~@¢ The maximum sentence will be two years in jail, rather than three.

â~@¢ The EU has long called for changes to Article 301, arguing that
the law places severe restrictions on free speech in Turkey. The
issue has threatened to scupper Turkey’s EU accession talks.

Demands for the repeal or reform of the law had been growing since
the murder last year of the Armenian-Turkish editor, Hrant Dink,
who had been charged under the law, the BBC reported.

–Boundary_(ID_DrvjnJE93FFUduIvd6lm6A)- –

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress