ECA has sent the following letter to the Turkish prime minister and minister of Justice:
Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan
TC Easbaskanlik
Ankara
Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 0476
Copenhagen, 22nd of November 2005
Dear Mr Erdogan
The European Council of Artists (ECA), representing artists’ umbrella organisations in 25 European countries, is much concerned about the fate of our colleague Orhan Pamuk.
The prominent Turkish novelist, awarded the renowned German Book Trade Peace Prize in Frankfurt this October for his literary work in which "Europe and Islamic Turkey find a place for one another", is due to appear in court on December 16 on charges of having denigrated Turkish national identity by telling a Swiss newspaper that "one million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it." For this statement, Orhan Pamuk faces a prison sentence from six months to as much as three years.
One of the cornerstones of the European Union, which Turkey desires to join after a successful completion of current negotiations, is the essential human right of freedom of speech. If Turkey’s state authorities deem that Mr Pamuk’s opinion does not reflect reality, they should offer substantiation of their objections.
Urging Turkey to respect and honour the principle of free speech, the European Council of Artists therefore demands that unwarranted charges against Orhan Pamuk be dropped immediately.
Yours sincerely
Ludwig Laher,
President
c.c. Cemil Cicek, Minister of Justice, TC Adalet Bakanligi
Ankara, Turkey, fax: + 90 312 417 3954