Elvan Kısmet

Due to a legal amendment, propaganda in the run-up to the elections in languages other than Turkish does not carry prison sentences any more, but the related ban in the Political Parties Law has not been lifted.

The 'Initiative for a Constitution from All for All' organized a symposium on a new constitution in Istanbul. Politicians, journalists, members of NGOs and religious representatives gave their views on the essentials of a new constitution.

A Malatya court sentenced Kurdish folk musician Tunç to one month imprisonment on the grounds of his statement at a festival and postponed the pronouncement of judgement. The Court of Appeals had quashed the first verdict of the local court for Tunç's acquittal.

Sculptor Mehmet Aksoy applied to court to stop the destruction of his "Statue of Humanity" that is supposed to be removed upon the directive of PM Erdoğan. He had called the statue a "monstrosity". Aksoy argued, "Turkey must not convey such an image to the world".