Turkey Moves Forward on Article 301 Amendment

In global free speech matters, Turkey is inching closer to amending Article 301, the provision in its criminal code that prohibits "insults to Turkishness."  The Turkish Press reports that the Justice Commission is scheduled to debate a proposed revision on Friday that would change the language to prohibit insults to the "Turkish nation."  Permission from the President would also be required before prosecutors move forward with charges, and reductions in jail sentences are also being considered.  Article 301, which has been used to prosecute numerous journalists and writers, including Orhan Pamuk, is considered a road block to Turkey's efforts to join the EU. 

It is unclear how the new language would be interpreted by prosecutors, courts, or the President, and whether it would satisfy EU human rights standards.  Human Rights watch has said the amendment "merely tinkers with the wording of the law, while maintaining its most problematic features."  Cengiz Aktar, an EU expert at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, adds that any amendment to Article 301 would have a minimal impact on Turkey's EU bid given remaining free speech restrictions in the penal code.

-Kathleen A. Bergin