ANSAmed
May 21, 2010 Friday 6:46 PM CET

HUMAN RIGHTS: STRASBURG COURT CONDEMNS TURKEY;
FOR STOPPING US ACADEMIC FROM RETURNING TO COUNTRY

STRASBURG

(ANSAmed) The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Turkey for
having banned a US academic from returning to the country. According
to the Strasburg judges, the decision taken by Ankara was
unjustifiable.

During the 1980s, Norma Cox was working as a lecturer at two Turkish
universities. The country’s Interior Ministry expelled her in 1986 for
some statements the academic allegedly made to her colleagues and
students on matters concerning the Kurds and the Armenians.

Cox returned to Turkey and was arrested in 1989 while distributing
leaflets against Martin Scorzesés film, "The Last Temptation of
Christ". She was expelled once again. In 1996, following a trip to
Turkey, the authorities wrote on her passport that she may no longer
enter the country.

Cox challenged this decision, but the ban became definitive in 2001
following a ruling by Turkey’s Supreme Administrative Court. According
to the judges in Strasburg, however, the Turkish authorities were not
able to demonstrate the grounds for their ruling and in particular
they did not supply any arguments as to why Ms Cox constituted a
danger to the nation’s security. The Court ruled that Ms Cox should
receive compensation of 12,000 euros from Ankara for moral damages
incurred.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress