(no subject)
Limitations on Free Speech in Turkey
Imagine if you were prosecuted just for publicly discussing and challenging “official” versions of your national history.
Imagine if writing negative statements about your country’s armed forces could leave you facing a fine.
Imagine if printing satirical comments caricaturing state officials in your country could land you in prison.
Imagine if you did these things outside your own country and even then were liable to a penalty increased by one third.
Under Turkish law, these things do not just happen in the realms of imagination.
Many individuals today find themselves facing charges under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code for peacefully expressing their dissenting opinion.
These individuals are not just writers and journalists; they are also publishers and human rights defenders. In fact Article 301 can be used against anybody "denigrating Turkishness."
Turkey has limited free speech by prosecuting individuals of a wide range for peacefully expressing their dissenting opinion. Under Article 301 of Turkey’s Penal Code, Turkey has criminalized views that are deemed to have insulted Turkishness or the government. Article 301 is being arbitrarily used to harass and threaten people with imprisonment and is severe threat to freedom of expression. It must be abolished immediately. Click here to read more and take a bit of action.
~~From Amnesty International