The arrest warrant against Dogan Ozgüden remains in force


Journalist Emin Karaca condemned for insult to the Army chiefs

Journalist and writer Emin Karaca was condemned on September 13, 2005 by the penal court of first instance N°2 of Istanbul to a 5-month imprisonment old according to Article 301/2 of the new Turkish Penal Code (replacing Article 159/1 of the old Turkish Penal Code) because of his criticisms as regards the putschist generals of March 12, 1971. The prison sentence was later commuted to a suspended fine of 900 YTL (New Turkish Liras).

The court also decided to acquit the responsible editor for the Türkiye' review of ve Avrupa' da Yazin (Literature in Turkey and Europe), Mehmet Emin Sert, who had published Karaca's article on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the execution of three leaders of progressive youth.

In the same case started in 2002, Dogan Özgüden, chief editor of Info-Türk, had been indicted for his article entitled "After 30 years", appeared in the same review, and accused of having insulted the Army chiefs. On September 27, 2002, the court sent to all border check points an arrest warrant ordering that Özgüden, exiled in Belgium, be immediately arrested and submitted to the justice as soon as he enters to Turkey. Up to now, this arrest warrant has been renewed five times by the same court, but Özgüden refused to surrender to Turkish justice.

At the audience of June 22, 2005, the public prosecutor asked that the lawsuit file against Dogan Özgüden be separate until its arrest in the event of its return to the country so that the lawsuit against Karaca can continue separately. The court thus decided to separate Özgüden's file and to suspend his trial until his arrest in the event of his return to Turkey. (For more information on the case: http://home.scarlet.be/~ozguden/322.htm )


The condemnation of Karaca shows that, in spite of the modification of the Turkish Penal Code, so appreciated by the European Union, the indictment and condemnation of  writers and journalists for "opinion crimes" continue as before.

The independent communications network (BIA) announced on September 13 2005, that under the Article 301 (old article 159) of the TPC a number of journalists are always tried for insult against the Turkish nation, the Army, the government or the forces of security simply because of their criticisms. It gives like examples the following recent cases:

Novelist Orhan Pamuk, for insult to the Turkish nation
Journalist Ragip Zarakolu, publisher of Belge Yayinlari, for insult to the State, the Republic and Atatürk
Journalist Hrant Dink, editor of the Armenian newspaper Agos, for insult to the Turkish nation
Journalist Dogan Özgüden, for insult to the Army
Journalist Emin Karaca,, for insult to the Army
Lawyer Sehmus Ulek, vice-president of the Association for the defense of the oppressed (Mazlum-DER), for insult to the Turkish nation
Journalist Rahmi Yildirim, for insult to the Army
Journalist Ersen Korkmaz, editor of Demokrat Iskenderun, for insult to the government.

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