TURKISH GOVERNMENT FACING MOUNTING PRESSURE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 005711 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM OSCE TU SUBJECT: TURKISH GOVERNMENT FACING MOUNTING PRESSURE TO REVISE ARTICLE 301 REF: ISTANBUL 1717 Classified By: CDA Nancy McEldowney for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Pressure from the US, the EU, the Turkish press and several recent high profile cases is forcing the GOT to consider reform of controversial Penal Code Article 301, which restricts free expression. The ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) had hoped to avoid addressing the highly charged issue until after the 2007 elections. But the beating Turkey's democratic image is taking for limiting free speech to protect "Turkishness" has pushed reform on to the public and poltical agenda, particularly in the lead-up to the November 8 release of the EU's progress report on Turkey's accession process. ¶2. (C) Summary cont. Despite PM Erdogan's public claims that the AKP is ready to tackle this thorny issue, the message we're hearing privately from senior administration officials is more cautious. In separate meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and at the MFA, the Ambassador and DCM each strongly urged the government to take action on Article 301 now and demonstrate Turkey's firm commitment to freedom of expression. AKP assurances that Article 301 reform is on the agenda may be real, or just promises meant to defuse the issue prior to the PM's October 2 with President Bush. They have not yet taken any concrete action, and have very little time to organize for what promises to be a tough fight against an opposition primed for battle. We will continue to press the GOT to keep genuine reform of Article 301 on the agenda -- a message Erdogan should hear from Washington as well. End summary. -------------- Article 301: Poisoning Turkey's Image -------------- ¶3. (U) Article 301, which took effect in June 2005, states that "a person who explicitly insults being a Turk, the Republic, or Turkish Grand National Assembly, shall be given a penalty of imprisonment for a term of six months to three years." Ultranationalists, such as attorney Kemal Kerincsiz, have exploited the provision to hinder free-speech on controversial topics such as Turkish-Armenian history, and to derail Turkey's EU bid. Once a 301 case is filed, prosecutors are obligated to conduct a preliminary investigation before deciding to pursue a case. The resulting high-profile investigations, which often do not lead to a full trial, have badly tarnished Turkey's democratic image internationally. The negative reactions in western capitals to the article's clampdown on free expression have furthered the ultranationalist agenda of torpedoing further reforms linked to Turkey's EU membership bid. ¶4. (U) The most recent case to set off the Article 301 reform debate was the September 21 acquittal of well-known author Elif Shafak for dialogue that allegedly insulted Turkishness in her latest novel (reftel). In the most notorious case, novelist Orhan Pamuk was charged in June 2005 with "insulting Turkish identity" for his statement during an interview that 1 million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds had been killed in Turkey. The trial court ultimately dismissed the case on procedural grounds. Other high-profile cases include the conviction and suspended 6-month sentence of publisher Hrant Dink (who was recently charged again under 301). ¶5. (U) Although defendants in high-profile cases have often been acquitted or had their sentences suspended, many lesser-known writers have been convicted under the law. According to the Turkish Human Rights Association, 82 writers, publishers, journalists, and intellectuals appeared in courts on charges related to freedom of expression (though not all were brought under Article 301) in the past year. The Human Rights Common Platform puts the number at 100. According to local press, 16 cases have resulted in conviction, 19 have resulted in acquittal, and 20 are ongoing. Sentences have ranged from fines of approximately $3,000 USD to one year in prison. -------------- Pressure to Reform Article 301 Builds ANKARA 00005711 002 OF 003 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The continuing use of Article 301 has raised serious doubts in Europe that Turkey is committed to freedom of expression. The EU Parliament, in its September 27 annual report on Turkey, called on Turkey to abolish or amend Article 301 and any other Penal Code provisions that allow for arbitrary interpretations by judges and prosecutors leading to judgments that suppress free expression and freedom of the press. The report labeled these as threats to human rights and freedoms that negatively affect the progress of democracy. Turkish-EU joint parliamentary committee chairman Joost Lagendijk recently told us that because Article 301 cases make the front pages of many European newspapers, they have a powerful effect on public opinion. "Article 301 cases remind me of Eastern Europe pre-1989," said Lagendijk. ¶7. (U) During Elif Shafak's trial, editorials in nearly every major Turkish newspaper criticized the prosecutor's use of the article or called for outright repeal. The quantity and content of these articles added to already strong pressure on the GOT from the U.S., the EU and international media to reform Article 301. National daily Milliyet summed up the mood by questioning how any logical person could hold a writer accountable for a fictional character's words. Milliyet compared the use of Article 301 to a witch hunt, and said those who viewed Shafak's book as an insult to Turkishness were themselves insulting the Turkish nation. -------------- AKP Split on Tackling Article 301 Reform -------------- ¶8. (C) At the highest level, AKP party and government officials appear to have recognized they can no longer delay on amending Article 301. As the press began to question the AKP's commitment to EU membership because of its unwillingness to take action to protect free expression, PM Erdogan and FM Gul began to indicate amendments were possible. Welcoming Elif Shafak's acquittal, Erdogan told the press, "This issue should be discussed with the government and the opposition....If there are proposals for making abstract things more concrete, we can ask our colleagues to work on it as we did in the past for other issues. We are ready to do that anytime." In a September 27 meeting, MFA Deputy Undersecretary Ertugrul Apakan told the DCM that the PM decided with his cabinet ministers that they must tackle Article 301 now, before the EU Commission progress report is released November 8. "We (GOT) will do it" (i.e. pass an amendment to the article),Apakan stated. AKP Whips Sabdullah Ergin and Salih Kapusuz, as well as AKP Vice Chair Dengir Mir Firat, also told us recently that the GOT is working on a way to amend the article. ¶9. (C) Not everyone is onboard with the PM's action plan, however. Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Sahin, who has steadfastly maintained that amending 301 is not on the AKP's agenda, told the Ambassador on September 27 that the government wants to allow the case law to develop on what he called a very new law. Sahin claimed that prosecutors and judges are applying Article 301 with greater regard for free expression, and added that the Court of Appeals is preparing a common decision that would help standardize the article's enforcement. The Ambassador stressed that the Article 301 cases are poisoning Turkey's image in the US and the international press. He urged the government to take action soon to reverse this impression, at the very least by clarifying how it is to be applied. Freedom of expression is a fundamental democratic principle that must be protected, he emphasized. ¶10. (C) High-level Ministry of Justice officials echoed Sahin's lack of enthusiasm for reforming Article 301 any time soon. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek continues to state publicly that the judiciary needs more time to interpret the law and establish judicial precedent. Ministry of Justice Foreign Relations Director Aykut Kilic told us there is no legally valid reason to change the law before the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court has an opportunity to interpret it. Kilic accused the government of bowing to political pressure. ANKARA 00005711 003 OF 003 ¶11. (C) CHP deputies are not united on Article 301 either. Some acknowledge the difficulty of balancing freedom of expression and protection from insult, and might even acknowledge that 301 should be changed. Others express contempt for defendants like Orhan Pamuk, who (one deputy claimed) "started it (sic) for the sake of being popular." The party,s education expert even suggested that the writers and intellectuals who support changes to articles like 301 are being paid to do so. While CHP may not have a clear line on 301, they are committed to opposing the AKP and, even by the admission of one CHP deputy, we can expect nothing constructive from that quarter. -------------- -------------- Other Potential Roadblocks to Reforming Article 301 -------------- -------------- ¶12. (C) Several other challenges stand in the way of any immediate attempt to amend Article 301. AKP, along with opposition parties, is courting the nationalist vote as the 2007 national election campaign gets underway. Political opponents and ultranationalists are poised to attack reform attempts as efforts to weaken the state. High-level AKP members seem to be moving carefully in the charged political atmosphere surrounding Article 301 reform demonstrate politicians' continued fear of alienating a substantial part of the electorate. ¶13. (C) The AKP's must also overcome its own internal contradictions on the issue of free speech. Prime Minister Erdogan was once jailed for reciting an Islamic poem. The experience has led him to support those like-minded Turks who, for example, want to criticize the official ban on headscarves in universities. But he has shown no tolerance for those who criticize him or his government, or who speak out on sensitive topics unrelated to Islam. During the past year the Prime Minister's personal attorneys have filed dozens of such cases against those who have allegedly insulted him in written statements or political cartoons. Effective reform on free speech is unlikely absent an internal reckoning on the issue by the AKP. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶14. (C) Although steadily mounting pressure has caused PM Erdogan to face up to the need for Article 301 reform soon, it will take significant political capital to push through the kind of changes that will be needed. With its substantial majority in parliament AKP has the votes, but it will take a disciplined campaign by Erdogan to muster the party unity required on an issue this sensitive domestically. The CHP has made opposing the AKP its election strategy and is ready for a tough fight. Even if Erdogan is sincere about reform, he may not have time to win the battle before the November 8 EU report. His trip to Washington is another opportunity for him to hear that freedom of expression must remain a top priority if he wants to restore Turkey's international reputation as a thriving democracy. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY