Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Email: info@faon.nl
Website:
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
PRESS RELEASE
Written Questions on prosecution of Temel Demirer
The Hague, 25 September 2008 – The Federation of Armenian Organisations of
the Netherlands (FAON) was informed that Members of four factions in Dutch
Parliament, namely the Christian Union, the CDA (Christian Democrats), the
SGP (Political Reformed Party) and the VVD (Liberal Party) have submitted
Written Questions to the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the permission of
the Turkish Minister of Justice to prosecute the Turkish writer, Temel
Demirer, because of his remarks on the Armenian Genocide the day after the
assassination of the Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink.
Written questions by the MP¹s Voordewind (Christian Union), Ormel (Christian
Democrats), Van der Staaij (Political Reformed Party) and Van Baalen
(Liberal Party) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the permission to
prosecute the Turkish writer
The Written Questions are as follows:
1. Have you been notified of the news that the Turkish Minister of Justice
has granted permission to prosecute writer Temel Demirer pursuant to Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code because of utterances on the Armenian
Genocide? 1)
2. In which cases has the Minister of Justice given permission to institute
a criminal case by invoking this Article after it had been amended under the
EU pressure?
3. Which conclusion do you draw from this situation also considering the
background of the answers to the earlier written questions on the
condemnation of a Turkish writer due to publication of a book on the
Armenian Genocide (nr. 3045), where you asserted that you could not at the
time evaluate the effect of the amendment of Article 301 properly? Doesn¹t
this make clear that the amendment of Article 301 has, neither in material
nor procedural sense, produced the intended result and that the further
amendment of the Turkish Penal Code is necessary? If not, why?
4. Which measures are you going to take, bilaterally as well as in EU
connection in order to make it clear to the Turkish government that the
continuing violation of the freedom of expression, also in view of the
motion of Rouvoet et al. adopted by this Parliament, is unacceptable?
1) ?Ministry of Justice gives permission for trial of writer Demirer under
article 301¹, en ?Writer to face prosecution under 301¹,
Today¹s Zaman, 10 september 2008
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress