Turkish-Armenian scribe sentenced to 13 months for blasphemy in blog post

[Solomon2]

Turkish-Armenian scribe sentenced to 13 months for blasphemy in blog post

---

ISTANBUL

---

An Istanbul court has sentenced Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nişanyan to 58 weeks in prison. DHA Photo

An Istanbul court has sentenced Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nişanyan to 58 weeks in prison for an alleged insult to the Prophet Muhammad in a blog post.

The prosecutor had been seeking one and a half years of jail time for Nişanyan on charges of “insulting the religious beliefs held by a section of the society.”

The sentence cannot be converted to a financial penalty, but Nişanyan has the right to appeal.

He was charged with blasphemy after writing a blog post titled, “[We] need to fight hate speech.”
“Making fun of an Arab leader who claimed he contacted Allah hundreds of years ago and received political, financial and sexual benefits is not hate speech,” Nişanyan said in his post last year. “It is an almost kindergarten-level test of what is called freedom of expression.”

On May 22, the day of the sentencing, Nişanyan retweeted his blog post, writing, “Let’s share the article that was sentenced to 13-and-a-half months at the Istanbul 10th Criminal Court for insulting religious bla-bla.”

Last month, renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say was also handed a suspended 10-month prison sentence for blasphemy, after a case that drew national and international reaction.

Say had been the focus of a legal battle after he retweeted several lines, attributed to poet Omar Khayyam in April 2012, saying, “You say its rivers will flow in wine. Is the Garden of Eden a drinking house? You say you will give two houris to each Muslim. Is the Garden of Eden a whorehouse?”

May/22/2013

EoZ adds: Yes, in Turkey, defending free speech can be a hate crime. In his original blog post that got him in trouble Nişanyan also called out Muslim Jew-hatred, saying that Muslim preachers who say that the tiny number of Jews in the world are part of an "abhorrent race" and behind all the evils in the world are "vomiting nonsense" and this is a classic example of a hate crime. You wouldn't know that by reading the websites of Amnesty and Human Rights Watch.

 

[TurAr]

Our democracy is so advanced that if it advance a little bit further, people won't be able to see it anymore.

This is even more absurd than the Fazıl Say's case

 

[for truth]

Never knew that there were blasphemy laws in turkey. sad to know this.

 

[Jamaal Yelmaaz]

Our democracy is so advanced that if it advance a little bit further, people won't be able to see it anymore.

This is even more absurd than the Fazıl Say's case

it is quite fair and very democratic decision by Court..I think you prefer an type of democracy that maintain only the rights of marginal and extremist minorty that could easly exceed the border of endurance of community rather than maintain rights of overwhelming majority..

He is accused of blasphmey of prothet Mohammad not advocating of atheism or materialism....where that advanced democracy which satisfies 100% of a community??.....
Did you ever hear something about such democracy in the world?

Please try to be a little more fair and realistic..

 

[TurAr]

it is quite fair and very democratic decision by Court..You prefer an type of democracy that maintain only the rights of marginal and extremist minorty that could easly exceed the border of endurance of community rather than maintain rights of overwhelming majority..

He is accused of blasphmey of prothet Mohammad not advocating of atheism or materialism....where that unuiqe democracy which satisfies 100% of a community??.....Did you ever hear something about that democracy in the world?

This is the third time you are accusing a group of people as being extremist and marginal just because they refuse to believe what you believe. People like you are the real extremists. I don't want to read your BS anymore.

“[We] need to fight hate speech.”
“Making fun of an Arab leader who claimed he contacted Allah hundreds of years ago and received political, financial and sexual benefits is not hate speech,”

If he indeed sentenced just because of this and there is nothing else, it is unbelievable.

 

[Aamna14]

I believe its a fair decision by the Court why shouldn't their be laws to maintain peace in the society? Freedom of expression is one thing but insulting the faith of a community is quite another. To prevent events where people consider themselves having the right to punish an individual on blasphemy its a preferred way that there must be a law to prevent worse things from happening. I don't understand why should a democracy only safeguard the rights of those who cause mayhem and are merely attention seekers and not the ones who genuinely need protection.

 

[TurAr]

To Pakistani members; please do not judge the events in Turkey over the norms in your own country. If you have no idea about Turkey, simply save your comments to yourselves.

 

[Jamaal Yelmaaz]

This is the third time you are accusing a group of people as being extremist and marginal just because they refuse to believe what you believe. People like you are the real extremists. I don't want to read your BS anymore. If he indeed sentenced just because of this and there is nothing else, it is unbelievable.

i ddint accuse any ccertain extremist gruop by now..i just tried to generalize attitudes of such extremist groups..

Court decision has nothing to do with forcibly beleiving..your claimings is totally distortion..

BTW, actuaaly there were people who justify advanced democracy in the world..as well as in turkey.. im mistaken bro...soryy

Sabiha Gökçen'de ba

 

[TurAr]

i ddint accuse any ccertain extremist gruop by now..i just tried to generalize attitudes of such extremist groups..

Don't generalize anyone, the only extremist here is you.

Court decision has nothing to do with forcibly beleiving..your claimings is totally distortion..

What is my claims? What are you talking about?

BTW, actuaaly there were people who justify advanced democracy in the world..im mistaken bro...soryy
Sabiha Gökçen'de ba.

FFS, are you people still using the same card. YOU ARE ALWAYS THE VICTIM MATE, NOBODY HAS EVER DENIED THAT!

 

[FireFistAce]

This is the third time you are accusing a group of people as being extremist and marginal just because they refuse to believe what you believe. People like you are the real extremists. I don't want to read your BS anymore.

They have the choice to believe or not.
But they can't insult what others believe.

 

[TurAr]

They have the choice to believe or not.
But they can't insult what others believe.

Yahu kardeşim, bir insan eğer Müslüman değilse, ya da eğer deist veya ateist ise, bu, o kişinin senin dinine inanmadığı anlamına gelir. O kişi için senin dinin ve diğerleri birer peri masalıdır, senin peygamberin ise, Nişanyan'ın dediği gibi, bir Arap liderinden öte bir şey değildir. Birinin ateistim dediği anda, senin, o kişinin aynı böyle düşündüğünü zaten biliyor olman gerekir. Bunları dile getirmeyi hakaret addedip ceza vermen, Islama inanmamayı yasakladığın anlamına gelir. E o zaman tüm ateistleri, deistleri, inanmayanları toplayıp hapse mi atacağız ne yapacağız?

Bu arada, AKP Ankara İl Yönetim Kurulu üyesi ve AKP Tanıtım Medya Başkan Yardımcısı Mahmut Macit'ten geliyor:

Nişanyan'ın sözde ettiği "hakaret" 13 ay ise, bu kaç ay olmalı size göre çok merak ediyorum...

 

[atatwolf]

****, you can do that over something that is written on twitter, what is next, youtube comments? haha

 

[what]

Nişanyan'ın sözde ettiği "hakaret" 13 ay ise, bu kaç ay olmalı size göre çok merak ediyorum...

Blasphemy my ***.
That guy is calling for the annhilation of people that don't believe in a god and the other one (the Journalist) is questioning religion and there is prove to back his claims up.

Isnt it ironic that he's going to jail for exactly what he was criticizing?

I believe its a fair decision by the Court why shouldn't their be laws to maintain peace in the society? Freedom of expression is one thing but insulting the faith of a community is quite another. To prevent events where people consider themselves having the right to punish an individual on blasphemy its a preferred way that there must be a law to prevent worse things from happening. I don't understand why should a democracy only safeguard the rights of those who cause mayhem and are merely attention seekers and not the ones who genuinely need protection.

Good that you don't live in Turkey then.

The problem with religious people is that everything and anything is blasphemy and a few years later everyone with a different OPINION is in jail and women get lashed for wearing jeans.

 

[TurAr]

Blasphemy my ***.
That guy is calling for the annhilation of people that don't believe in a god and the other one (the Journalist) is questioning religion and there is prove to back his claims up.

Isnt it ironic that he's going to jail for exactly what he was criticizing?

He has right to appeal, i don't think he will go to jail for this. Fortunately, we are not that hopeless yet:
LOCAL - Turkish pianist Fazıl Say to be retried on blasphemy charges

 

[Jamaal Yelmaaz]

Don't generalize anyone, the only extremist here is you.



What is my claims? What are you talking about?



FFS, are you people still using the same card. YOU ARE ALWAYS THE VICTIM MATE, NOBODY HAS EVER DENIED THAT!

To be honest, if that man would said the same statement aganist Ataturk then what would be your reaction...?
Turkey one of the 3 countries in the world that personal immunity of a statesman(MK Ataturk) taken under protection of constitutional laws..our other counterpart countries Iran and North Korea..

But there is no such constitutional protection laws for Allah, Mohammad and Qur'an as done for Aataturk....
you can reject,refute all prenciples of islam and could justify your own way unless you directly assult high common values of community..


No doubt if mr Sevan would said the same things againist Ataturk he would subject to more heavy legal punishment and our citizens who advocate advanced democracy like you was cheering the decision of court..am i mistaken?

TRT'deki ba
dude, remember article no: 5816
Atatürk Aleyhine

Although Turkey still has some lacks of democracy, quite better than all times remained in the past..and more, we are advancing in democracy not worsing over the years

At present, our judiciary system is almost accordince with EU standarst..Yet there still some anti-democratic articles in constitution but government now is trying to fix them for coming next new constitution..