  Turkish leaders’ declarations about democracy are mere fiction, Hilda Tchoboian believes March 21, 2011 - 17:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - On trial since September 2010, the Turkish publisher Ragip Zarakolu and writer Mehmet Gуler have been convicted for “propaganda for the PKK” in the book "The KCK file: Global State and Kurds without a State", the statement issued by The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy said. On March 10th, 2011, Ragip Zarakolu faces a prison sentence of more than seven years for publishing the book, banned and confiscated in May 2010, right after it had been published at the first Book Fair in Diyarbakir. Mr. Zarakolu, along with his wife Ayshe, who has passed away, has been subject to harassment, trials and periods of imprisonment since the 1970s, for publishing books about the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by Turkey. Mr. Zarakolu is one of the founding members of the Turkish Association for Human Rights, Chairperson of the Committee for Freedom of Publication in Turkey. He was on trial under article 301 for his publications on Turkish taboos (Armenian genocide, Kurdish question, role of the army in political life, torture). “Turkey once has again denied its commitment to constitutional reforms towards the European Union; Turkish leaders’ declarations about positive change towards Democracy and Free Speech are mere fictional statements” stated Hilda Tchoboian, President of the European Armenian Federation. The Federation has repeatedly alerted the European Union on the condemnation of Turkish intellectuals and journalists under the 301 article of the Turkish Penal Code, many of them denouncing Turkey’s Denial policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. By voting Mrs Oomen-Ruijten's report on Turkey’s progress, the Federation considers that the European Parliament has supported Turkey in its refusal to admit its State crimes: “the European Parliament failed to give the right signal to that country regarding the Armenian genocide; It is a disservice to Turkish Democrats and to Turkey to import that taboo in Europe, while Turkish intellectuals consistently take important risks to get rid of denial policy”, concluded Hilda Tchoboian.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide  Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. |
