MINISTRY OF JUSTICE GIVES PERMISSION FOR TRIAL OF WRITER DEMIRER UNDER ARTICLE 301
Erol Onderoa~^Lu – [email protected]
BIA
Sept 10 2008
Turkey
Ministry of Justice gives permission for the trial of writer Temel
Demirer under article 301 for saying that there was genocide of
Armenians in Turkey at a protest meeting held on January 20, 2007,
right after the murder of Hrant Dink.
Ministry of Justice has given permission for the continuance of
the trial of Temel Demirer under article 301 for saying that Hrant
Dink was not only killed for being an Armenian, but recognizing the
genocide as well.
Not surprised by this decision of the ministry, Demirer’s lawyer
Å~^iar iÅ~_vanoglu told bianet that if the ministry had refused giving
permission, then those more liberal minded judges would be willing
to use initiative."
"We were expecting this decision. With this decision, they have just
proven that their promises regarding the European Union, democracy,
the structural reforms and the human rights are all fairytales. On
the one hand, they go to Armenia to watch a game, on the other hand
they are filing cases under article 301."
It was Minister Å~^ahin who gave the permission According to the new
version of article 301, a permission from the Ministry of Justice is
required to try cases under this article.
Demirer’s case went to the ministry on May 15 and minister Mehmet
Ali Å~^ahin decided to allow the case to proceed.
He is on trial for asking people to commit article 301 crime for
301 times
Demirer is accused for "provoking people to hatred and hostility"
for his speech in Ankara on January 20, 2007, the next day after the
murder of Hrant Dink.
The indictment prepared by prosecutor Levent SavaÅ~_ on January 24,
2007 is based on police reports, tape recordings and CD’s. The
indictment claims that Demirer made the following speech in the
meeting where Hrant Dink’s murder was protested:
"I will be brief. (…) We live in a country where not shouting
the truths partners with murder. Hrant was killed not only because
he was an Armenian, but because he voiced the truth of genocide
in this country. If the Turkish intellectuals do not commit this
crime of article 301 301 times, then they will be accomplices to
this murder. There is genocide in our history. Its name is Armenian
Genocide. Hrant told this truth at the expense of his life. I commit
the crime and I ask everyone to do the same. Those who do not commit
this crime against this state are those who share the responsibility of
the murder of Hrant Dink. Those who massacred Armenians yesterday are
attacking our Kurdish brothers today. Those who desire the brotherhood
of the peoples must settle with this history. We have to commit this
crime, so what happened to our Armenian brothers yesterday will
not happen to our Kurdish brothers. I ask everyone to commit this
crime. Yes, there was Armenian genocide in this country." (EO/EU/TB)
–Boundary_(ID_thkrwMIy+rZhBMogwtE1Hg) —