EAFJD: ARTICLE 301 AMENDMENT IS NOTHING BUT MANIPULATION OF WORDS

On Wednesday, April 30, 2008, the Turkish Parliament adopted the AKP bill which “amends” the disturbing article 301 that penalizes freedom of expression in Turkey. The amendment, which consists only of replacing the crime of “insulting Turkishness” with that of “insulting the Turkish nation,” was adopted by 250 votes for and 65 against. In addition, prosecutions will now have to be pre-approved by the Ministry of Justice and the maximum penalty will be reduced from three to two years imprisonment. For several years now, article 301, in its initial form, has been widely invoked to prosecute any author of dissident opinions on Turkish taboos such as the Armenian Genocide and its acknowledgment, the Kurdish issue or the occupation of Cyprus. A segment of the Turkish public opinion considers that the charges against journalist Hrant Dink, at that time, for his article led to his tragic assassination in January 2007. Throughout Europe and even in Turkey, a number of entities have denounced this parody of reform and have demanded a complete abolition of article 301 and other clauses. The general view is that the “reform” adopted will not change anything with respect to the critical situation regarding freedom of expression in Turkey and intellectuals will still be prosecuted. Indeed, the Turkish Minister of Justice intervened during the debates in Parliament to make clear that “with this law, there is no question of letting people freely insult the “Turkish identity”. “This so-called reform is a joke”, declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation. “It curiously resembles the manipulation of article 305, which remained absolutely identical in its punitive clauses, but from which the Turkish Parliament just removed the statement of motives that cited the Armenian Genocide and the occupation of Cyprus,” she explained. “The European Union should not let itself be anaesthetized by this gross manipulation of words,” stated Hilda Tchoboian. The European Armenian Federation reminds that, in the hope of significant reform, the report on Turkey introduced by the MEP from EPP group (CDA – Christian Democrat – Netherlands), Ria Oomen-Ruijten, and adopted on April 21st 2008, used for the second consecutive year a complacent and flattering tone on the situation, however critical, of Human Rights in Turkey. The Federation takes note, with admiration, of the official declaration in Turkey by two intellectuals – Eren Keskin and Erdogan Aydin, affirming and recognizing the Armenian Genocide. “When we see the courage of these persons, we cannot accept that MEPs betray them by accepting this official trickery. The Parliament should also not accept “the omerta” (code of silence) imposed by Ankara on the Genocide in the report that will be adopted in plenary session in the coming weeks,” concluded Hilda Tchoboian.

<< | Home | >>

E-mail article | Discuss article new!

RSS © Panarmenian

Headlines for May 03, 2008

AZERI MFA EXCEEDS THE LIMITS OF DIPLOMATIC ETHICS
The statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s spokesman on “ignorance” of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian exceeds the limits of diplomatic ethics, RA MFA acting spokesman Tigran Balayan ...
ANCA "END THE GAG RULE" CAMPAIGN HITS CAPITOL HILL
The Armenian National Committee of America’s (ANCA) nationwide "End the Gag Rule" campaign has gone to Capitol Hill, highlighting the unacceptability of Turkey’s use of threats and intimidation to veto ...
AZERI POPULATION DISCONTENT WITH OSCE MG
1
The population of Azerbaijan is extremely discontent with the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. According to a survey conducted by Ray (Opinion) ...
EAFJD: ARTICLE 301 AMENDMENT IS NOTHING BUT MANIPULATION OF WORDS
On Wednesday, April 30, 2008, the Turkish Parliament adopted the AKP bill which “amends” the disturbing article 301 that penalizes freedom of expression in Turkey. The amendment, which consists only of ...
COE WELCOMED TURKEY’S ARTICLE 301 AMENDMENTS
The Council of Europe welcomed the recent amendments to the controversial article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which criminalized insulting "Turkishness," but added the amendment doesn’t alleviate ...
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT DISPLEASED WITH ARMENIA-IRAN COOPERATION DEVELOPMENT
The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State has issued Country Reports on Terrorism 2007. The Armenia Report says: “Armenia’s counterterrorism contribution included ...
AZERBAIJAN TO RETURN FOUR ARMENIAN CITIZENS TODAY
On May 3, at 6 .m. local time, near the settlement of Yeraskhavan, Ararat region, the Azeri side will transfer fours Armenians, who several days earlier lost their way, finding themselves in Nakhijevan, ...
AZERI SIDE FRUSTRATES TRANSFER OF FOUR ARMENIANS
The Azeri side frustrated transfer of four Armenian citizens, who lost their and found themselves in Nakhijevan several days ago. The transfer was planned near the settlement of Yeraskhavan at 6 a.m. ...