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This Week’s Freedom to Write Action Alert-Turkey
February 22, 2008
This week’s Action Alert is for International PEN’s monthly Article 301 Action in Turkey. Article 301 of the Turkish penal code not only violates the right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by the International Convention on Human Rights to which Turkey is a signatory, but also exposes those accused under this Article to attacks, death threats and murder by extremist minorities in the country.
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Article 301 states:
1. Public denigration of Turkishness, the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey shall be punishable by imprisonment of between six months and three years.
2. Public denigration of the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the judicial institutions of the State, the military or security structures shall be punishable by imprisonment of between six months and two years.
3. In cases where denigration of Turkishness is committed by a Turkish citizen in another country the punishment shall be increased by one third.
4. Expressions of thought intended to criticize shall not constitute a crime.
For this month’s action in protest of Article 301, we are sending letters of appeal to the Turkish Prime Minister and the Turkish Minister of Justice.
Sample Letter of Appeal.doc
PEN members are also encouraged to keep abreast of events in Turkey through the
general media and web-sites listed below.
Freedom of Expression Initiative -
http://www.antenna-tr.org/index.asp?lgg=en
BIANet http://www.bianet.org/english
Appeals may be sent:
Ø Protesting the continuing trial against Ragip Zarakolu and 20 others
charged under Article 301.
Ø Expressing alarm at the continuing threats against writers such as
Perihan Magden and urging that there be increased measures taken to bring to
justice those that threaten individuals.
Appeals to:
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Minister of Justice
Mr Mehmet Ali Sahin
Ministry of Justice
Adalet Bakanlžgž
06659 Ankara
Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 419 33
Office of the Prime Minister
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara
Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 0476