Freedom of expression: Pamuk trial adjourned, EU worried

The trial of best-selling Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was adjourned on Friday in a case that has raised concern in the EU over freedom of e...

The trial of best-selling Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was adjourned on Friday in a case that has raised concern in the EU over freedom of expression in Turkey and its bid for EU membership.

Istanbul Judge Metin Aydin said the trial would restart on February 7, 2006, to give the Justice Ministry time to decide whether the case was in line with judicial procedures at the request of the state prosecutor. Pamuk’s interview with a Swiss newspaper was published before Turkey’s new penal code came into effect.

He faces a possible three-year jail term for “insulting Turkish identity” by saying that a million Armenians were killed in massacres 90 years ago and 30,000 Kurds in recent decades.

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His defence lawyer Haluk Inanici told the judge, “We are asking the court to immediately start the interrogation of Pamuk and we demand that he be acquitted.”

The trial is embarrassing for the government, which blames overzealous prosecutors. But the fact the case has come this far has raised questions about Ankara’s appetite for implementing the reforms necessary to join the European Union.

“This case should never have been brought to this stage. The adjournment is only an attempt to save face. We hope for an acquittal in the end.” said Daniel Hahn of Human Rights Watch.

Pamuk, author of My Name is Red and Snow is charged under Article 301 of the revised Turkish penal code, which has been widely criticised abroad.. —Reuters

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