ANKARA (News.am)—A prominent Turkish lawyer is being sued under Article 301 of the Turkish penal code for submitting a case to an Ankara court to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish Zaman newspaper reported Thursday.
Istanbul lawyer Serhat Kamil Zor filed the case with prosecutors against Bendal Celil Ezman, accusing him of offending the Turkish nation, slander of state bodies and actions conflicting with professional lawyer’s duties.
Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish nation, or Turkish government institutions. It took effect on June 1, 2005 and has been used to try, among others, Nobel Laurette Ohran Pamuk and slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
In his plea, Kamil Zor says he was born in one of the villages in Erzurum province, noting there are many settlements with Armenian and Greek names. In addition, he claims that during Russia’s invasion in the beginning of the last century, Armenians massacred Turks.
Ezman’s claim calls on the Turkish state to recognize the crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Turkish government during World War I, to condemn its mastermind, Talat Pasha, and rename all the streets that have been named in his honor.
To offend today is to tell the truth apparently… at least in Tureky