EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd
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PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
Monday, 6 October 2008
Contact : Varténie ECHO
Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
RAGIP ZARAKOLU : "TO BE MORE CREDIBLE, THE EU SHOULD BE MORE DEMANDING OF TURKEY."
Well known Turkish dissident expresses concern over the EU's abandonment of Turkish intellectuals.
Prosecutions have been authorized against 30+ dissidents since the "reform" of article 301.
At the invitation of the European Armenian Federation, Ragip Zarakolu, the well known Turkish dissident, paid a visit to Brussels after an appearance in Amsterdam, where he was honoured with the Freedom of Expression award, granted by the International Publishers Association (cf speech here). On the occasion, the European Armenian Federation organized meetings between Mr Zarakolu and several political leaders of the European Union – Commission members, representatives of the French presidency and European MEPs. These meetings gave Mr Zarakolu the opportunity to share the current reality in Turkey with several members of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the presidency of the EU-Turkey Interparliamentary Delegation (pictures available here).
Mr. Zarakolu stated that the freedom of expression has regressed in Turkey. He argued that « in 1997 and in 2000, people who published on the Armenian genocide were prosecuted but acquitted » while « they are nowadays condemned ».
He shared that the 7/2 and 8 articles of the anti-terror law are increasingly being used against the mass media, especially when the Kurdish question is tackled in term of political, cultural and collective rights. Regarding article 301, its history “is intertwined with that of his trial“, he reiterated the position of Turkish intellectuals a who believe that this article is «completely incompatible with democracy and must be completely abrogated“.
Regarding the Turkish judiciary system, Ragip Zarakolu and Joost Lagendijk, the chairperson of the EU-Turkey Interparliamentary Delegation – the latter being an unconditional supporter of Turkish accession despite the fact he was prosecuted under article 301 too – deplored that “the European programme which aims at improving the judiciary system have worked for magistrates from Eastern Europe but doesn't work for Turkish magistrates“ and “those who today pronounce indictments under article 301 are those who still had following European training courses".
In general, Mr. Zarakolu criticized the Turkish government's opportunistic policy that “does not authorize prosecutions when there is a risk of harming the international image of Turkey“ but that authorizes those against intellectuals who are not well-known in the Western countries“.
Mr. Zarakolu, as the president of the Committee for Freedom of Publication, also presented the 2008 report on freedom of expression in Turkey published by the Turkish Association of Publishers, and revealed that according to official figures from the Turkish Minister of Justice, prosecutions against 36 people have been authorized in accordance with article 301 since its “reform“.
He called on the Union “to be firmer in its principles“ and to demand of Turkey “concrete improvements“. Contrary to the media figures promoted by the Turkish government, he concluded saying that “a stiffer approach by the Union is the only solution to make Turkey progress“ by criticizing the fact that Turkey “is reluctant to make reforms“ and tries to obtain “special rights in Europe“.
« We call on the European Union to give all its support to the struggle of these men and women – dissidents – prosecuted and threatened with the Turkish government's complicity“, commented Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian Federation.
The European Armenian Federation is acting in Europe in support of the important re-examination of the Human Rights situation in Turkey and Turkey's breaches of the European Union accession criteria
P.-S.
Ragip Zarakolu is a publisher and one of the founding members of the Turkish Association for Human Rights. He was on trial under article 301 for his publications on Turkish taboos (Armenian genocide, Kurdish question, role of the army in political life, torture...). In June 2008, he was the very first person to be convicted under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, less than a week after “it had been reformed“.
