We urge Turkish authorities to drop the case against him, and we continue to campaign against ongoing attempts by the Turkish government to silence writers.With its fusion of literary elegance and incisive political commentary, Pamuk's previous novel, The Black Book, drew comparisons to the works of Salman Rushdie and Don DeLillo. “Such interferences, which turn into de facto bans on books, harm the principle of democratic society and we call on the authorities to take concrete steps to immediately end the investigation.”ĭaniel Gorman, Director of English PEN, said: “The fact that an investigation has been launched highlights the significant restrictions on freedom of expression faced by writers in Turkey today. “Court cases such as this pose a huge burden on the time and resources of publishers and writers, creating an atmosphere of threat and tension,” it said in a statement translated by Bianet. The Turkish Publishers Association also called on prosecutors to drop the investigation. “The reopening of the investigation, despite the lack of evidence and initial court decision not to prosecute the case, points to the overall climate of repression against writers in Turkey and demonstrates how the legal system enables appalling authoritarian restrictions on free expression and creativity.”Īccording to PEN America, at least 25 writers were jailed last year by the Turkish government, the third-highest number globally. “These baseless accusations have already been dismissed in court,” added Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of free expression at risk programs at PEN America. “The Turkish authorities have repeatedly used criminal defamation laws to silence those who dare to speak out, and this case is no exception.” “Orhan Pamuk is Turkey’s national treasure, a literary asset whose words reverberate across the globe and should be celebrated as such, yet he finds himself once again targeted for his writings,” said PEN International president Burhan Sönmez. He was backed by free speech organisations around the world, who urged authorities not to prosecute him. On the contrary, the novel was written with respect and admiration for these libertarian and heroic leaders,” he said. “In Nights of Plague, which I worked on for five years, there is no disrespect for the heroic founders of the nation states founded from the ashes of empires or for Atatürk. In a statement to Bianet, Pamuk denied the latest charges.
0 kommentar(er)
