(WiPC/IFEX) – On 6 March 1998 Edip Polat, a writer and long-standing activist for Kurdish rights, was sentenced to a 10-month prison term under Article 159/1 of the Turkish Penal Code which prohibits “insult” of state organs. He was convicted for an article published in the now banned ‘Ozgur Gundem’ newspaper in July 1993, which […]
(WiPC/IFEX) – On 6 March 1998 Edip Polat, a writer and long-standing
activist for Kurdish rights, was sentenced to a 10-month prison term under
Article 159/1 of the Turkish Penal Code which prohibits “insult” of state
organs. He was convicted for an article published in the now banned ‘Ozgur
Gundem’ newspaper in July 1993, which he describes as having “criticized the
Turkish political and judicial system.” The trial concluded in Istanbul on 6
March, at which point he was sent to Ankara Central Closed prison. His jail
term will end in January 1999. According to International PEN, Polat’s
imprisonment violates Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, as well as Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
both of which guarantee the right to freedom of expression. The organization
is therefore calling for his release.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
freedom of expression
Appeals To
His Excellency Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 417 0476Mr Oltan Sungurlu
Minister of Justice
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 3954
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
