Turkish ruling AKP submits 301 proposal to parliament
Güncelleme Tarihi:
The Turkish government is planning to give the mandate over implementation of the controversial Article 301 of the Penal Code to the President, a spokesman said. CNN Turk reported the ruling party AKP submitted its proposal to the parliament. (UPDATED)
"There will be no change in the elements of the crime," Cemil Cicek, government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister, told reporters on Monday. He underlined the important point of the proposal would be the requirement of the President's approval for filing a lawsuit or opening an investigation under the article.
The European Union has been calling on Turkey to amend Article 301, which has been the basis for charges against Turkish writers and journalists such as Hrant Dink, Elif Safak, and Orhan Pamuk. That provision makes denigrating Turkish identity or insulting the country's institutions a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
Under the proposed amendment, denigrating Turkish identity is replaced with denigrating the "Turkish nation" in an effort to eliminate the elusive definition of Turkish identity. It also replaces the word "Republic," with the "Rebuplic of Turkish State," in a similar context.
Chairman of the European Commission,Jose-Manuel Barosso, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will pay a visit to Turkey this week. The Secretariat General for EU Affairs sent a list of the EU's legislative demands to the prime minister's office, hurriyet.com.tr reported.
According to the report, the EU asked Turkey to amend Article 301 of the Penal Code "as soon as possible." The ruling AKP government, under pressure due to the closure case against it, is expected to give a new impetus to the EU process after a period of slowdown in reforms.