1 Nov 2011 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
Turkish publisher Ragıp Zarakolu , recipient of the 2008 International Publishers Association (IPA) Freedom to Publish Prize, was arrested on 28 October in Istanbul. Viewed by many as Turkey’s most prominent free expression and minority rights activist, Zarakolu has been accused of being a member of an illegal organisation under the anti-terror legislation, a press release from IPA said today. University professor Büşra Ersanlı was also arrested and over 40 other individuals were taken into custody on the same day as part of a recent crackdown on the KCK (Union of Kurdistan Communities). Zarakolu’s son, Deniz, was also arrested last month after giving a lecture at the Political Science Academy of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy (BDP) opposition party.
20 Oct 2011 | Europe and Central Asia, Index Index, minipost
A Turkish man could face two years in prison for comments made about Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan on his Facebook page. A public prosecutor in Ankara is calling for the man’s imprisonment based on insulting Erdogan, along with some of his cabinet members and ministers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The man is being charge under Article 301 of Turkey’s Criminal Code.
29 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
A cartoonist is facing trial for a caricature in which he renounces God. Turkish cartoonist Bahadır Baruter created an image showing an imam and believers praying in a mosque, with one believer on his mobile phone, asking God to excuse him from the last part of the prayer to run errands. The Istanbul chief public prosecutor’s office charged Baruter with “insulting the religious values adopted by a part of the population” and requested that he be imprisoned for one year. The cartoon, which was published in the weekly Penguen magazine, included the words “There is no Allah, religion is a lie”, hidden in the image.
20 Sep 2011 | Index Index, minipost
The publication of Halkin Gunlugu (The People’s Agenda) newspaper was suspended for one month on 10 September. All copies of the paper were seized and distribution of the latest issue is to be stopped under Article 25/2 of the Press Law and Articles 6/2 and 7/2 of Law No.3713 (Anti-Terror Law). The decision stems from a series of articles in the 18th issue of the weekly paper which covered the deaths of militants in the Maoist Communist Party and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Army, in armed conflicts. The prosecution ordered the publication ban on grounds of alleged “propaganda for an illegal armed terrorist organisation”.
