REPRESSION CONTINUES DESPITE SO-CALLED "REFORM"
AZG Armenian Daily
17/09/2008
Turkey
Article 301 still oppresses in Turkey despite the law’s supposed
reform and Gul’s visit to Armenia
According to the independent Turkish press, AKP Minister of Justice,
Mr. Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin, has authorized the prosecution of Turkish
intellectual dissident Temel Demirer under Article 301.
During a tribute dedicated to Hrant Dink, Temel Demirer stated:
"We live in a country where not shouting the truth makes us
complicit in the murder. Hrant was killed not only because he was
an Armenian, but because he voiced the truth about the Genocide
in this country. If Turkish intellectuals do not commit the crime
outlined in Article 301 301 times, then they will be accomplices
to this murder. There is genocide in our history. It’s called the
Armenian Genocide. […]. Those who massacred Armenians yesterday are
attacking our Kurdish brothers today. Those who desire the brotherhood
of peoples must reconcile with this history. […]. I ask everyone to
commit this crime. Yes, there was Armenian Genocide in this country."
Demirer had been prosecuted under Article 301 because of this
statement. However, in the spring, the Turkish Assembly achieved a
semblance of reform which replaced the crime of insulting "Turkishness"
with insulting the Turkish nation and which required that the filing
of cases by authorized by the Ministry of Justice. Unlike Human Rights
organizations, the European Commission and Parliaments hailed this
so-called reform.
The European Armenian Federation recounts the comments of Mr. Demirer’s
lawyer: "We were expecting this decision. With this decision, they
have just proven that their promises regarding the European Union,
democracy, structural reforms and human rights are all fairytales. On
the one hand, they go to Armenia to watch a football match, on the
other hand they are filing cases under Article 301."
"This is yet another indication that Article 301 is not compatible with
a democratic society and that it must be thoroughly repealed. Turkey
must take steps now toward full and comprehensive recognition of
the Genocide; otherwise, it will be clear that Gul’s show in Armenia
was just a PR ploy with no foundation" said Laurent Leylekian, the
executive director of the European Armenian Federation.
The European Armenian Federation emphasizes that there is a current
reality in Turkey that is far different from the illusions propagated
by Ankara’s PR strategy. The Federation calls upon the European
Commission, Council and Parliament to act according to this reality.
Addendum: since the initial release of this PR in French (11
Sept.), the Turkish Ministry of Justice allowed prosecuting another
intellectual, columnist Ahmet Altan, for the very same reason,
i.e. for having affirmed the Armenian Genocide.
European Armenian Federation for Justice & Democracy, Brussels
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