15 February 2006

Alert

Publisher Ragip Zarakolu's trials postponed for a further two months


Incident details

Ragip Zarakolu

publisher(s)

legal action
(WiPC/IFEX) - Two trial hearings held 15 February 2006 at a court in Istanbul against publisher Ragip Zarakolu were adjourned once again, this time to 19 April.

Zarakolu is being tried for publishing two books, both by Armenian authors, deemed to be insulting to the Turkish state under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. Zarakolu faces a maximum of six years in prison.

International PEN considers Zarakolu to be one of the foremost defenders of free expression in Turkey and is calling for an end to all judicial proceedings against him.

International PEN has consistently protested the trials against the many writers, journalists and publishers who have been brought before the Turkish Courts under Penal Code Article 301, on charges that are a blatant contravention of the international human rights standards to which Turkey is formally committed. It sees such trials as undermining the Turkish government's efforts to bring the country into conformity with these standards. It calls for there to be a halt to all trials against writers and journalists, and for a further review of the Turkish legislation that allows for such prosecutions.

A long-time campaigner for freedom of expression, human and minority rights, Zarakolu is rarely out of the courtroom. In August 2005, the trial was opened against him for a book by Dora Sakayan entitled "Garaet Hachaeryan's Izmir Journal: An Armenian Doctor's Experience". Some months earlier, in December 2004, hearings were opened for his publication of George Jerjian's "History Will Free Us All: Turkish/Armenian Conciliation".

Several hearings have been held in these cases, and others, many, including those today, have been attended by observers from International PEN and the International Publisher's Association. Zarakolu is an Honorary Member of the American, English, Quebec, Kurdish, Canadian, Netherlands and Swedish PEN Centres.

To access previous PEN protests on behalf of Ragip Zarakolu case go to:
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/index.php?pid=33&aid=409&query=zarakolu
http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/index.php?pid=33&aid=403&query=zarakolu



Source:

Writers in Prison Committee, PEN International
Brownlow House
50-51 High Holborn
London WC1V 6ER
United Kingdom
wipc (@) pen-international.org
Phone: +44 20 74050338
Fax: +44 20 74050339
 

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More on this case

Trials against writers, journalists and publishers continue under Article 301 4 May 2006 Another publisher facing charges under new Penal Code 19 November 2005 International PEN calls for an end to publisher Ragip Zarakolu's trials 19 September 2005 Court acquits Baskaya, postpones trial of Zarakolu 4 March 2005 International observers to attend hearings in cases against publisher and writer 1 March 2005 Writer and publisher to face hearings on 2 March 2005 26 January 2005

Turkey

Police use social media to monitor activists 2 February 2012 Books of slain Kurdish poet under investigation 25 January 2012 Three journalists released pending trial, 11 others still imprisoned 25 January 2012 TV satellite operator usurps court’s prerogative to silence Kurdish TV station 20 January 2012 Journalists set to appear in court after year-long detention 18 January 2012 See all alerts: Turkey


 
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