Case Against Author Orhan Parmuk Dropped

Case Against Author Orhan Parmuk Dropped

Feb 03 2006

Turkish prosecutors have dropped their case against author Orhan Pamuk, who was put on trial for denigrating his country in comments he made to a Turkish newspaper (amongst other things he spoke of his country's persecution of Kurds in the 1980s). His high profile helped draw attention to his case, ultimately creating an outcry in Europe and threatening Turkey's attempt to join the European Union. According to Larry Siems, of the PENAmericanCenter, an international association for writers, the goal now is to make sure "this same outcome that Orhan got, is extended to all other writers." Siems said that while great strides had been made in numerous countries in the last 10 years to help protect free speech, insult laws - like the ones Pamuk supposedly broke - are still on the books around the world, and libel remains a criminal offense in many countries.

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