B4-0220/95

Resolution on human rights in Turkey and the charging of the author Yashar Kemal by the State Security Court in Istanbul in connection with 'separatist propaganda'

The European Parliament,

A.whereas, on 13 January 1995, the State Security Court in Istanbul ordered an investigation of the Turkish writer Yashar Kemal and, on 23 January, decided to institute proceedings against him on the grounds of 'separatist propaganda',

B.whereas the reason for this action is an article by the aforementioned writer published in the 2 January 1995 edition of the German weekly Der Spiegel, in which he condemned Ankara's crackdown on Turkey's Kurdish minority and criticized the ambivalent tone of the authorities' voice, which is conciliatory towards the West but ruthless within Turkey's own frontiers,

C.whereas Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and has signed and ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights (ECHR),

D.whereas systematic persecution of writers, journalists and intellectuals is continuing under the current Turkish Government,

E.whereas the number of people arrested and imprisoned in Turkey for 'the offence of holding a particular opinion' continues to grow,

F.whereas, under the Turkish anti-terrorism law, the 'offence of separatist propaganda', with which Yashar Kemal has been charged, is punishable by two to five years' imprisonment and a heavy fine,

G.whereas the writer, who is 72 years old, acts as his country's conscience and was imprisoned soon after the military coup in March 1971 for having criticized the social situation in his country,

1.Emphatically condemns the charging of Yashar Kemal;

2.Considers that the charge of 'separatist propaganda' brought against him is totally unjustified and that the article in Der Spiegel does not contain any objective element which would give grounds for such a charge;

3.Considers, therefore, that this action is tantamount to a political trial and constitutes a serious violation of human rights and the right of freedom of expression;

4.Deems such proceedings to be unworthy of a country which claims to be democratic and which is associated with the European Union;

5.Calls on the Council and the Commission to bring pressure to bear on the Turkish authorities in order to ensure that Turkey shows greater respect for human rights and that all proceedings against the author Yashar Kemal are dropped;

6.Recalls and reaffirms its previous resolutions on the human rights situation in Turkey and, in particular, its resolutions of 29 September 1994 and 15 December 1994 on the trial of Turkish Members of Kurdish origin of the Turkish Grand National Assembly;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and to the Turkish Government.