OBJECTIONS RAISED TO RULING IN TURKEY’S ARMENIA APOLOGY CAMPAIGN
Hurriyet
Jan 3 2009
Turkey
A group of Turkish citizens have raised objection to a decision
rejecting a demand for the criminal prosecution of individuals who
initiated an Internet campaign to issue a public apology to Armenians,
Anatolian Agency reported on Tuesday.
The office of the Ankara Public Prosecutor earlier this month launched
an investigation into the issue after six Turkish citizens submitted
a petition calling for the organizers of the apology campaign to be
charged with "insulting the Turkish nation openly" under Article 301
of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
Completing its investigation, the prosecutors’ office in Ankara
last week rejected the demand and no charges were laid against the
individuals who initiated the Internet campaign.
The citizens claimed in their objection submitted to a court in
Ankara’s Sincan district that the prosecutor’s office did not conduct a
detailed investigation into their petition, saying "the organizers were
not even questioned" over the campaign, broadcaster CNNTurk reported.
"It has been decided that there is no need for criminal prosecution
on the legal grounds that opposing opinions are also protected under
freedom of thought in democratic societies," the prosecutors’ office
said in its ruling.
Around 200 Turkish academics, writers and journalists launched a
website issuing an apology to Armenians regarding the 1915 incidents
and called for people to sign on in support.
The efforts of the intellectuals drew fierce reaction in Turkey
and incited counter website campaigns, and exhibitions containing
information and photographs from studies conducted into the events.
Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915.Turkey
rejects the claims saying that 300,000 Armenians, along with at least
as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took
up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.
The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet on accepting
Turkey’s proposal to form an independent commission to investigate
the claims.