Gulan: Article 301 and European Union

http://www.gulan-media.com/h624/g43.pdf

The murder of Hrant Dink last January started active public discussion in Turkey about amending or abandoning Article 301 of the Penal Code. This article makes it illegal to insult Turkishness. The article prevents public discussions and the development of civil society.
Amending the Article 301 is the corner stone whether the development in Turkey turns towards democracy or increase of militarism.

I met European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn in Helsinki at the beginning of February with Jukka Mallinen. He is the chairman of the Finnish PEN and I am the Turkey coordinator of it. PEN is international writers’ association.

In the meeting we explained commissioner Rehn our worry about the lack of freedom of expression in Turkey. I told Mr Rehn about my deportation in Turkey and my ban to enter there.

European Union has followed carefully but quietly recent developments in Turkey, like the making tighter of the Anti-Terror Law 3713 last July.

Now commissioner Rehn makes clear his opinion about the Article 301 in an interview published the 23rd February in Journalisti, the magazine of Union of Journalists in Finland. Rehn says:
“It is clear that in order to ensure freedom of expression Turkey should, without delay amend or rather repeal the notorious article 301.”

I made this interview by e-mail. I asked Mr Rehn:
If Turkey would accept Ankara protocol and solve the problems with Cyprus but article 301 would not be renewed, how Turkey's membership negotiations would continue?

He answered:
”Our shared objective is Turkey’s accession, and this is what we are working for. But there is no automatism: Whether this goal will be attained depends on if Turkey is able to meet all the criteria of accession in the end of the process. Freedom of expression is a necessary condition for that.”

These words sound very nice to everyone who supports the democratization process in Turkey. Thank you commissioner Rehn for meeting representatives of the Finnish PEN and making the e-mail interview.

But I have already the next question: What European Union will do if Turkey does not fulfil these demands and abandon Article 301? The development in Turkey is not going towards the right direction but towards the opposite way. One example is that the trial based on Article 301 against Hrant Dink continues in Istanbul Sisli Primary court No. 2 the 22nd March despite he is dead.

It is clear Turkey can not be member in EU if the level of freedom of expression remains as poor as it is now. But this is not enough. Europe should not just observe quietly the increase of problems in Turkey. Whether Turkey's membership negotiations with EU continue or not Turkey is Europe's neighbour whose growing problems affect it in many ways.