In recent weeks there have been many arrests and convictions in Turkey citing the archaic Penal Code which is used to curtail freedom of expression. Here are some of the more alarming cases

Professor Attila Yayla was convicted on 28 January of insulting the legacy of Ataturk, and given a 15-month suspended prison sentence. Yayla had said in a panel interview that the early Turkish Republic was not as progressive as Turks believed.

Yasin Yetisgen, editor of weekly Coban Atesi has been charged under article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code, relating to crimes against Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the republic. Yetisgen published a column under the heading “Don’t send me to the army, Mum”. He is due in court on 9 May and faces imprisonment.

Haci Bogatekin, owner of the newspaper Gerger Firat was arrested on 8 January, accused of propaganda and praise of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The accusation is linked to a 4 January editorial called “Feto and Apo”. The charges carry maximum sentences of three and seven-and-a-half years respectively.

Musa Kart and Zafer Temocin, cartoonists for the Cumhüriyet newspaper, are facing up to four years in jail. They are being investigated under Article 299, relating to insults to the president. Kart’s cartoon depicted President Abdullah Gül as a scarecrow in a cornfield. Temocin’s cartoon depicted the president in a money filled envelope held by an Arabian prince.