Zensur - Beleidigung des Türkentums
Insulting Turkishness - Censorship in Turkey

8:55 Min., ORF - weltjournal, 18.10.2006

Trials against writers, journalists and publishers continue under the article of Insulting Turkishness and many more under other laws that have been used to stifle legitimate comment in Turkey.

Bestselling novelist Elif Shafak is the latest writer to face trial for 'insulting Turkishness'. Shafak joins a roster of more than 90 writers and journalists to be charged under these laws in 2006. Several others await verdicts in climate of courtroom violence. Over a hundred people will have been tried by the end of the year over freedom of expression issues.

International PEN is delighted by this outcome, considering the trial against Elif Shafak to have been in direct violation of her right to freedom of expression. She was charged with "insult" to Turkishness for comments made by fictitious characters in her best-selling novel "Baba ve Pic" ("Father and Bastard").

Elif Shafak says that these laws are "used as a weapon to silence people - journalists, intellectuals, publishers and editors" - by a reactionary faction within the Turkish establishment whose goal is to "curb the domain of art and literature" and to fight against the Turkish EU memebership.

Last year, Turkey attracted already widespread international criticism after acclaimed most well-known writer Orhan Pamuk was charged under these laws. He had stated in an interview that "thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed and nobody but me dares to talk about it." A court threw out his case for lack of evidence.

Another example: Ipek Çalislar, the author of "Latife Hanim" ("Lady Latife"), will go on trial for a biography of the first wife of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. She could be sentenced to up to four-and-a-half years for "insult" to the memory of Atatürk. The contentious section of the book refers to an incident where, fearing for his life, Atatürk is said to have fled a building disguised as a woman.

Eugene Schoulgin, board member of International PEN, says: "It is a great concern for PEN that cases such as this continue to be opened in Turkey, contradicting the Turkish government's stated aspiration towards an open society and true democracy".

Thomas Büsch and Sabine Küper investigated the latest developments regarding freedom of expression in Turkey.