MEPS CONCERNED ABOUT RAGIP ZARAKOLU’S SECURITY
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.04.2008 19:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Four eminent members of the European Parliament –
Mrs Maria Eleni Koppa and Mr Jacques Toubon, both vice-presidents
of the delegation EU-Turkey, Mr Patrick Gaubert, vice-president of
the sub-committee on Human Rights and president of Licra, Mr Ioannis
Kasoulides, former minister of Foreign Affairs and recent candidate for
the Cypriot presidency – have recently sent a letter to the Turkish
Minister of Justice, Mr Mehmet Ali Sahin, in order to inform him
of the Unions concern about developments in Ragip Zarakolu’s trial,
reported the European Armenian Federation.
The MEPs mention that the "long, costly and morally exhausting" trial
comes from "judicial relentlessness". They are also worried about
Mr Zarakolu’s "physical security" regarding "nationalistic renewal
in Turkey" especially revealed by the "murder of Hrant Dink and the
revelations referring to the criminal organization Ergenekon".
On April 9, at the end of another hearing of Mr Zarakolu, the criminal
court in Istanbul decided to postpone the hearings until June 17,
i.e. after the possible adoption by the Turkish Parliament of the
amendments tabled by the AKP government referring to the 301 and 305
articles of the TPC.
The European Armenian Federation reminds that Mr Zarakolu is a
publisher and militates for several years in favor of Human Rights in
Turkey. He is one of the founding members of the Turkish Association
for Human Rights and he forms part of those dissidents prosecuted under
the 301 article for having "insulted the State and the Republic" and
"the memory of Ataturk".
In this case, Mr Zarakolu is prosecuted following the article 301
because he published two books on the Armenian genocide, the founding
act and the major taboo of the Turkish state and society. One of the
books deals with the rescue of an Armenian family by Turks during
the genocide.