Turkish writer cleared of insult
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6192869.stm Version 0 of 1. Turkish author Ipek Calislar has been acquitted of insulting modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Prosecutors said Ms Calislar had insulted Ataturk when she said, in a biography of his wife Latife, that he had once fled disguised as a woman. She faced up to four years in prison under Turkey's tough law against denigrating "Turkishness". The European Union has pressed Turkey to reform the law, which it views as a bar on freedom of expression. The law has led to court cases against dozens of writers and journalists, including acclaimed novelists Orhan Pamuk - this year's Nobel laureate for literature - and Elif Shafak. Both were also acquitted. Excerpts from Ipek Calislar's book, called Latife Hanim, were published in the mass-circulation daily Hurriyet. |