Another Article 301 Case to a Journalist

Journalist İrfan Uçar will be tried with the infamous article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for an article where he criticized the prosecution of another writer with the same article.

Proprietor of Aram Publishing House Fatih Taş has been convicted because of a book on "disappeared" journalist Nazım Babaoğlu. Uçar criticized the verdict.

He'll stand trial on March 14 at the Beyoğlu 2nd Court of First Instance in Istanbul.

Commenting on the notorious article 301, which is thought to be reworded following Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink's murder on January 19, Uçar said a precondition of Ministry of Justice's permit for trials on the article wouldn't solve the problems.

He's accused of "insulting the National Assembly, the judiciary and state security forces" in his article.

"(...)A journalist disappears in Turkey. 11 years passes. A publisher brings out a book on the incident and gets convicted on article 301. Security forces, judges of this country don't feel responsible of what has happened to the disappeared journalist, Nazım Babaoğlu. Those who 'loose' Nazım walk free but those who write about it gets prosecuted (...)" wrote Uçar in the article in question.

Aydın Engin parries trial

On another account, public prosecutor's office won't file a case to journalist Aydın Engin for his words in an article published in the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos.

"I'll go to France and say that the Armenian Genocide didn't happen. Then I'll come back to Turkey, step on a stone at Güvenpark in Ankara and say that the Armenian Genocide happened", wrote Engin, which wasthen subjected to an investigation.(EÖ/EÜ)