Publisher Zarakolu trial postponed to January 31, 2008

PanARMENIAN.Net - Publisher Ragip Zarakolu was on trial on Wednesday, facing a jail sentence of up to three years for insulting national identity under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which makes it a crime to "insult Turkishness," has been used in the prosecution of writers and intellectuals.



Prosecutors accuse Zarakolu of "insulting Turkishness" for publishing a Turkish-language translation of a book by British author of Armenian origin George Jerjian titled "The Truth Will Set Us Free."



The book urges reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and covers the Armenian Genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War I.



"Ragip Zarakolu did not write the book. I did. In fact the information inside my book that the prosecution finds objectionable is not even mine. The information belongs to eminent scholars and writers, such as Dr. Vahakn Dadrian, Dr. Taner Akcam and Stephen Kinzer, a Turcophile American journalist. I used their information to promote a 'fresh' understanding of history between Turks and Armenians, an understanding that would help both peoples move forward in this new and fast-changing century," Jerjian said in a letter sent to the 2nd Court of First Instance in Istanbul, where Zarakolu is being tried.



"These writers are not liars, who fabricate stories to undermine and destabilize Turkish society: they are writers who want to the truth to emerge, for the benefit of society and their fellow men. They are not criminals, who inflict pain and suffering on their fellow men; they are heroes who should be celebrated for liberating and enriching their society," Jerjian said in the letter.



"In fact, Honorable Judges, I would state to you Ragip Zarakolu did not insult and ridicule the Turkish nation and republic. ... Honorable Judges, I urge you to acquit Ragip Zarakolu, for he is an innocent man," he concluded.



The trial was previously adjourned until Jan. 31, 2008, in order for the defense to prepare, as Zarakolu's lawyer, Ozcan Kilic, was unable to attend the hearing on Wednesday, Zaman reports.



Ragip Zarakolu, the founder of Belge Publishing House, has long faced legal harassment for publishing books on controversial subjects in Turkey, especially on minority and human rights in Turkey. In 1990-ies, his Turkish translation of Franz Werfel's The Forty Days of Musa Dagh resulted in imprisonment for him and his wife.



In 2005 Ragip Zarakolu was given the Freedom of Expression Award by the Norwegian Authors' Union. In 2007, he was honored with Freedom of Press award of the Turkish Union of Journalists.