ANDREW DUFF ATTENDS TRIAL OF ORHAN PAMUK IN ISTANBUL
December 15, 2005 6:00 AM
European Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew DUFF has been appointed by the European Parliament to observe the trial, in an Istanbul district court this Friday, of the celebrated Turkish writer Orhan PAMUK.
PAMUK is charged with having insulted the Turkish state. DUFF, who is a strong supporter of eventual Turkish accession to the European Union --and Vice-President of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee -- said:
"Orhan Pamuk is being tried under a law (Article 301 of the penal code) that has only recently been revised as part of Turkey's efforts to join the European Union. The revision of the law has been botched.
"It is scandalous that Turkish judicial system can still even contemplate imprisoning someone for their freedom of opinion.
"The Turkish government is quite right to condemn the action of the local prosecutor. But it must do more. It must eliminate all archaic laws in Turkey that have been designed in a former period to protect the state against the citizen and to suppress freedom of thought or expression.
"Pamuk is a beacon of liberalism in a society which is still torn between the ancient and modern. It is an honour to attend his trial as a signal that Turkey's friends in Europe will desert it if it fails to modernise itself along European lines.
"I fervently hope that the trial will be stopped immediately and Pamuk discharged with full honour."
ENDS/...
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats