INTERNATIONAL PEN

WRITERS IN PRISON COMMITTEE

 

17 March 2008

 

RAN 17/06 Update 3

 

 

The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN fears that a trial hearing on 8 April 2008 will end with the sentencing, possibly to a prison term, of publisher Ragip Zarakolu, who is charged with “insult” under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. International PEN protests the charges against Ragip Zarakolu which are in clear contradiction of international standards safeguarding the right to freedom of expression.

 

There have been numerous hearings against  Ragip Zarakolu since the trial opened in March 2005. He is charged under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (formerly Article 159 of the old Penal Code) for “insulting the State” by publishing Dora Sakayan’s An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna Ordeal of 1922. Zarakolu faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

 

This is just one of a string of trials against Zarakolu in recent years, all related to books he has published, mainly on minority rights issues such as on Armenians and Kurds in Turkey, and on human rights. Most recently  another “301” case against  him ended in acquittal when the court concluded that Zarakolu’s Belge Publishing House’s publication of UK based George Jerjian’s book History Will Set us Free /Turkish-Armenian Conciliation could not be penalised as the author is not resident in Turkey.

 

As of March 2008, around 20 other writers, publishers, journalists and academics are on trial under Article 301 for “insulting” the Turkish state for comments on issues ranging from an Armenian genocide, human rights abuses against the Kurds and criticism of the military, judiciary and other state institutions. Scores of people have been tried under this law since it came into existence in June 2005. None have yet ended in prison terms, although suspended sentences have been passed. Most notable of these was the six-month suspended sentence against Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian language Agos newspaper, who was murdered in January 2007. It is widely believed that the sentence against Hrant Dink had made him a target for assassination.

 

Zarakolu is one of Turkey’s best known dissident publishers, having suffered harassment, trials and imprisonment ever since he set up his publishing house, Belge, in the 1970s. In 1995, he and his staff escaped injury when his offices was bombed by right wing extremists, forcing it to move into a basement site elsewhere in Istanbul. He is winner of numerous national and international freedom of expression awards, and is an honour member of several PEN Centres.

 

International PEN is deeply concerned that the 8 April 2008 trial hearing against Ragip Zarakolu may result in imprisonment. PEN has long campaigned against the application of this law as a clear deviation from the international standards safeguarding the right to freedom of expression to which Turkey is committed.

 

Please send appeals:

 

-                     Expressing alarm at news that a trial hearing against Ragip Zarakolu under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code could result in conviction;

-                     Pointing out that should this be the case, it would be in direct violation of international standards protecting the right to freedom of expression as enshrined under Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 10 of the European Covenant on Human Rights,  to which of both Turkey is a signatory;

-           Supporting calls for the repeal of Article 301 in recognition of the fact that it has been used to bring numerous people to the courts solely for  having legitimately expressed their opinions, in direct violation of international human rights standards.

 

Appeals to:

 

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Office of the Prime Minister

Basbakanlik

06573 Ankara

Turkey

 

Fax: +90 312 417 0476

 

Foreign Minister and State Minister for Human Rights

Mr Mehmet Ali Sahin

Office of the Prime Minister

Basbakanlik

06573 Ankara

Turkey

 

Fax: +90 312 287 8811

 

For further details contact Sara Whyatt at the Writers in Prison Committee London Office: Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER UK Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7405 0338  Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7405 0339  e-mail: wipc@internationalpen.org.uk