80 writers and journalists have defamation cases pending against them in Turkey, notwithstanding that the Turkish government had changed on April 30 the infamous art 103 about insulting the state. It was a beginning that sadly didn’t change anything. The publisher Ragip Zarakolu has on June 17 been sentenced to 5 months in prison, which could be commuted into a fine. Zarakolu has been at the forefront in the struggle for freedom of expression. The court hearings he fell victim to have been time consuming and expensive, harassing him for publishing the works he did about the Armenian question, Kurdish and minority rights.
Art 301 must be repealed or amended thoroughly to meet the norms of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Americans should be aware of these facts when advocating for the admission of Turkey. Internatonal PEN and WIPC Flanders work for this to happen.
Clowns from Amsterdam
11 years ago
Good to see Muddy and Dusty back on the road. For once, they both agree about solving the Turkey problem: They advocate locking all turkeys in pens, and playing at full volume tapes of the most obscure poetry and prose, 24/7, to drive them nuts. Just before total dementia occurs, all turkeys will be slaughtered by stabbing with a PEN, and frozen, and readied for the Big Annual American Turkey Feast, this coming November.
ReplyDeleteThis is in accord with the Eat Your Enemies approach to discord, as advocated by Jaysus in The Bible.
'Writers' are always complaining about how poorly they are treated, when they deserve better. They truly are remarkable creatures, they spend all their time complaining and demonstrating, and yet, somehow, still find time to 'write'.
ReplyDeleteOK, let's grant that 'writing' is difficult, but so is chewing one's toenails, and you don't see toenail-chewers marching in endless picket lines, or meeting and kvetching 24/7.
In a more-perfect world, 'writing' and 'thinking' would be combined in the same persons.
Let us pray, and perhaps the future will be more perfect.