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Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News
Debate and resolution - Protocol
by Swedish Parliament - Thursday, 16 November 2000
Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2000 07:48 pm CST
12:00 - 18:05
1.. Page dated Thursday, which is is the 16th of November 2000, in the Swedish Parliament's question time, in which the delegate Inger Lundberg (Social Democrat) asked the following questions to the Minister of State Goeran Persson:
1.. Page Anf. 103: Inger Lundberg (s) I would like to ask the following question against the Minister of State: On 21 December the Syriac Orthodox priest Yusuf Akbulut will stand before the Turkish public security court in Diyarbakir. The reason of the accusation is a newspaper interview, in which he positively expressed himself about the genocide of the Armenians in Turkey, which was being discussed in the American congress. Additionally he said that in this time, which they call " the year of the sword " (1915), also - for instance - half a million Assyrians / Syriacs were murdered.
The accusation demonstrates a heavy intervention against the liberty of opinion. According to reports of many Assyrians / Syriacs, who live in Sweden, this issue has created large-scale unrest (concern) to those which live in southeastern of Turkey.
I would like to therefore ask the Minister of State, whether Sweden is ready to take orderly measures against Turkey and use its influence to exercise that a country which requests membership in the EU cannot make encroachments on the human rights of the Assyrians / Syriacs.
1.. Page Anf. of 104 Minister of State Goeran Persson The response to this question is that Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, on her round trip to the candidate countries, had the opportunity to discuss with the its representatives the human rights, liberty of opinion and democracy which Turkey will soon have.
The case addressed by Inger Lundberg is already well-known, both in the message from Ankara and from our State Department, and underlines the importance that we are to remain in further discussion with Turkey, in particular also regarding a possible Eu-membership.
1.. Page Anf. 105 Inger Lundberg I believe that the Minister of State stated that the Foreign Minister takes this question very seriously. I can ensure you that we in this chamber very positively regard the efforts of Turkey abouy the stabilisation its human rights situation. Therefore we are greatly concerned over setbacks like the case of Yusuf Akbulut. It is desirable that also the Turkish government is informed of our concern.
1.. Page Anf. of 106 Minister of State Goeran person We will take up the appropriate attitude made clear by Inger Lundberg and will make sure that we, as far as democracy and human rights are concerned will not make compromises. We are shaken by this case. According to our opinion, [the incident of the priest offers] sufficient cause to point out that this behavior does not fulfill by any means the expectations which one places against a future member of the European community.
Turkish state lawyers make great use of article 312 of the Turkish penal code if they want to proceed against people freely expressing their opinion. Such a case is present also with our minister in Tur Abdin.
Article 312 is in Book 2 of the Turkish penal code, under section 5 (crime against the public order) and in the first paragraph (request for committing a criminal offence or threat to cause fear and panic in the surrounding population).
It reads as follows:
- He who publicly makes announcements to the population approving of disobedience to the law (which is punishable by law as a crime), is punished with six months to two years prison and with a heavy fine from 6,000 to 30,000 tl **
- He who goads publicly the population with low key statements differentiating between class, race, religion, denomination or region to hate and enmity, is punished with prison from one year to three years and with a heavy fine from 9,000 to 36,000 tl ** If this goading occurs in a manner, which endangers public security, then the punishment which can be imposed is increased by a third up to around half.
- If the criminal offences specified in the above paragraphs were committed by the means mentioned in art. 311 cl. 2 (see below), then the punishment is doubled.
Re: article 311 clause. 2:
If the request takes place via any mass media, tapes, records, films, newspapers, magazines or other printing units by which publishing or spreading hand-written and multiplied documents or by hanging up posters and other impacting things at public places, then the amount against the author in imposing penintentiary and terms of imprisonment are doubled.
This means the priest will have a charge of between 18,000 - 108,000 Turkish Lira and a prison sentence of between 2 - 9 years!!!
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