"RESPOND FRANCE BY PROMOTING FREEDOMS"
Erol Onderoglu
BÝA, Turkey
Oct 18 2006
PEN’s Sayar gives out signals on freedom of expression after "genocide
vote" in France saying "retaliation should be by abolishing article
301". TGC’s Erinc refutes France PM’s statement. Prosecuted journalist
Duzel wants to see what happens ýn practice.
BÝA (Istanbul) – What kind of messages do statements made by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government after the French
Parliament’s vote on the "Draft Law to Punish Those Who Deny The
Armenian Genocide" entail for development of freedom of expression
in Turkey?
International PEN Turkey Chair Vecdi Sayar who believes the statements
are encouraging says "In retaliation to the Genocide Bill, Turkey
should rid herself of article 301 and similar constraints on freedom
of expression".
Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) chair Orhan Erinc, meanwhile,
refers to television news program on which the Prime Minister is being
quoted saying "Freedom of expression is banned in France. Over here
we can talk as we wish".
"I wish" says Erinc. "I prefer to see these remarks of the Prime
Minister as a message that the obstacles placed in front of the freedom
of expression in the Penal Code (TCK) and the Anti-Terror Law (TMY)
will be lifted".
Subject to a series of enquiries and prosecutions based on her
important interviews published in the "Radikal" newspaper, journalist
Nese Duzel believes one should not take the government for its words.
"I don’t know what will be changed in Turkey. Let’s see what happens
in practice" she cautions.
Government doesn’t give credit to "tit for tat"
In the days during which the Armenian genocide bill was being debated
in France and passed at parliament, messages of "boycotting French
products" spread in Turkey.
The Parliament Justice Commission chaired by Justice and Development
Party deputy Koksal Toptan intended to react to the bill with a Turkish
draft that was alleged to be five months old which would recognize
the Genocide in Algeria [committed by France] and criminalize the
recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Although criticism of France was severe and sporadic boycotts occurred
at public level in some wok places, government members agreed on the
position that Turkey should not make te same mistake.
Historian, EU and RSF reaction to France
In this period France, a part of the European Union that has on the
international arena wanted for article 301 in Turkey to be abolished,
was accused itself of shackling down opinions.
Not only Turkey but officials of the EU as well as the Paris-based
Reporters Without Frontiers (RSF) organization reacted to France.
Following these developments, bianet asked their opinion of the future
of freedom of expression from International PEN Turkey Center chairman
Vecdi Sayar, TGC chairman Orhan Erinc and journalist Nese Duzel.
Sayar: Retaliate by lifting 301
PEN Turkey Center chairman Vecdi Sayar believes that in retaliation
to the French bill, Turkey most conclusive step would be to abolish
article 301 of the TCK and similar other restrictive legislation.
"Government statements are giving such positive indications in this
direction" he says. "I believe this would be the correct thing to do.
Perhaps we can extract something right out of the mistake in France".
Erinc: We can’t talk how we want
Referring to PM Erdogan’s remarks on a CNN Turk television program
saying "Freedom of opinion is banned in France. Over here we can talk
the way we wish" TGC’s chairman Erinc says he does not share this view.
"While it is impossible not to share he view of the Prime Minister
in his first sentence, the remark that we can talk the way we wish
is a view that unfortunately we cannot share" Erinc said.
Erinc prefers to see Erdogan’s remark as an indication that
restrictions on the freedom of expression brought on by some articles
of the TCK and TMY will be lifted and adds, "Otherwise, looking at
the prosecutions launched against freedom of expression, it is not
possible to accept these words of the Prime Minister".
Noting that 69 court cases had been filed in Turkey under article 301
in the past year, Erinc says the effect of the French vote on Turkey
could have been negative. In his words, "With its vote France has not
only completely disregarded its own freedom of expression, but has
also pulled up a wall in front of the changeability of the articles of
law that impose a bottleneck on the freedom of expression in Turkey".
Duzel: Not waiting for anything, looking at practice
Journalist Nese Duzel who has been charged for "enticing hatred
and enmity" but later acquitted for her important interviews in
"Radikal" newspaper with Alawite leaders is now subject to an enquiry
and prosecution for "propaganda of a terrorist organization" due to
her reporting on the views of various experts and politicians on the
Kurdish issue.
"I don’t know what will be changed in Turkey" she says "but we need
to look into what happens in practice".
Duzel has a gloomy look at the future and recalls "With 301
the government withdrew what it had given. Many leaps towards
democratization in the past two years have been withdrawn with the
TMY and the new TCK".
Noting that legislation restricting freedom of expression continued
to exist in the new penal code, Duzel says "A progressive step has
not yet been taken. In practice it has started to become like the
past too because cases that to me once had come to an end are being
revived again".
Dink: Let us do what is correct
Appearing on an NTV live program the previous evening, Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink who is prosecuted in Turkey for his remarks
recognizing an Armenian genocide, said the French vote results could
actually be favorable for Turkey and that Turkey should do what
is correct.
Editor-in-Chief of the Armenian-Turkish "Agos" newspaper, Dink said,
that Turkey would not be the one to lose out of this bill and expressed
belief that "after this, Turkey will display the freedom of expression
that has been taken from its hands".
Stating that until the French vote the world public opinion saw
the Armenians as the aggrieved and the Turks as being unjust, Dink
noted "From now on the Turkish expression has become the one that is
aggrieved. I believe that the Turkish official expression will use
these conditions and will display the freedom of expression that has
been taken from its hands".
Dink said that anti-EU circles could be expected to exploit the
development and that this itself could lead to problems in Turkey’s
relations with the Union.
Saying that the French Parliament continuously used the expression
that "Turkey should look to itself", Dink asked "is Turkey going to
be able to look to itself? They have mentioned [Penal Code] article
301. These are not wrong either. There we are against the [violation
of] freedom of expression. But in Turkey there are laws, cases, that
repress the freedom of expression. Let us do what is right. After that,
as France has done in their mistake, they will be left isolated".
What did government officials say?
On the freedom of expression, senior government officials have made
some recent remarks that were widely reported in the media. State
Minister and chief negotiator Ali Babacan told Turkish journalists
in Brussels that the French decision would affect feelings towards
the EU in a negative way.
Babacan said, "If the French make mistakes, it is not correct for
us to give a response with further mistakes. We will continue with
our reforms. What is correct is clear and we will continue what is
correct with reforms".
Gul: Progress will continue
Visiting Luxembourg for a meeting Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul emphasized the difference between Turkey and other countries.
"Our difference is that we are aware of what we are missing," he said
adding, however, that the country had advanced much in a short time.
"Some things do overshadow the progress we have made," he said. "We
still have things to do and we are determined to do them".
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