The European Union on 14 October called on Turkey to shield Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk from court cases undermining freedom of expression.

A week before the European Commission released its annual progress report on Turkey, a Turkish Appeals Court ruled that any plaintiff could seek compensation from Pamuk for remarks he made about the mass killing of Armenians and Kurds in Turkey’s history. So far, there already have been six separate cases by Turkish individuals. (AP)

“This is not giving a positive message how Turkey is addressing freedom of expression,” said EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. “I appeal to the government of Turkey that it should take measures to avoid this kind of problem.”