Political Backdrop: Since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920s, Turkey has struggled to emerge as modern nation-state. It has experienced military coups, fractured leadership, and fraught relations between the different ethnicities that exist within its borders. The last coup was in 1980, after which there was heavy censorship and severe repression of all left-leaning activists. Many writers were also unjustly imprisoned. As the civil war between the authorities and the local Kurdish population in the southeast intensified, discussion of Kurdish matters was especially proscribed. Today, with a population of some 70 million, Turkey is ruled from Ankara by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and his Prime Minister Abdullah Gul. His government came to power after elections in November 2002, in which the AKP won 363 seats in the 550-strong Turkish Grand National Assembly. The AKP was thus able to form a single-party government, after more than a decade of multi-party coalitions. The AKP is the more moderate of two parties that emerged after the Virtue Party, of Islamic persuasion, was banned. The runner-up in the elections, winning an important number of seats, was the center-left Republican People's Party (CHP). The November elections were called after the previous coalition government fractured. Leading components had wished to back democratization measures to ensure European Union (EU) membership, but thereby lost the support of the Nationalist Action Party (MHP), a conservative-leaning party that strongly opposed the measures. The MHP and other important elements within Turkey's political establishment remain adamantly against democratic changes. They argue that they may have a 'destabilizing' effect on the country, while the more progressive parties wish to see Turkey emerge as a modern democracy and a fully-fledged member of the EU. Another factor of recent concern to human rights groups was the Turkish government's repression of peaceful anti-war protestors. The AKP joined with the USA and UK in asking for United Nations authorization of military action in Iraq against Saddam Hussein and then, in March 2003, supported the invasion of Iraq. Thousands of citizens took part in demonstrations and protests against the war and, as in other countries around the world, some were arbitrarily arrested. In the post-war period, it is unclear how the military situation just beyond Turkey's border will be played out, especially given Turkey's own complex relationship with the Kurds within its borders. Given recent events, a full picture of how far the AKP - as the country's relatively new ruling party - will advance democracy in Turkey, is yet to emerge. Some fear that increased tensions in the region will strengthen the hand of the MHP and other conservative elements, and that the government may be tempted to backtrack on some of its measures promoting democracy. Turkey is thus 'Janus-faced'. Its two faces look forward and back, one towards democratic change and inclusion within Europe and the other towards a more ossified situation where repression continues in the name of national security. How writers and freedom of expression fare at this juncture may prove pivotal; whether they prevail or not may radically influence the country's future path. PEN is therefore launching a campaign to support freedom of expression and defend writers and publishers who have come under attack. By throwing its weight behind them at this crucial time, it hopes to strengthen those within Turkey who support its path to democracy. Freedom of Expression in Turkey Today PEN notes that changes in legislation regarding freedom of expression have resulted in some of the pressure on writers and publishers being eased. However, its case list on Turkey records several continuing violations of the right to freedom of expression. Leyla Zana, the well-known Kurdish parliamentarian who has also worked in the past as a journalist, is now serving a long prison term for alleged membership of a banned party. WiPC recently learned that part of her prison term includes a two-year jail sentence for an article she wrote, and on these grounds it has taken up her case. It now joins with Amnesty International and other human rights groups in calling for her release. It is also investigating more than a dozen cases of journalists who are currently in prison, most of whom are charged with membership of an illegal organization. WiPC is still in the process of determining whether or not they ever advocated violence, or the extent to which their imprisonment is connected to their journalistic work. The current case list also records more than 80 cases of writers and publishers who are being prosecuted merely for what they have written or published, not including a large group of writers who are facing charges for their participation in the Freedom of Expression (FoX) campaign led by Sanar Yurdatapan (see below for more details). In all, WiPC estimates that at any one time about a hundred writers, publishers and journalists are before the courts. One case it is particularly highlighting is that of Ömer Asan , whose book The Culture of the Pontus describes Turkey's small Pontian minority, a people with a distinct language and ethnicity with Hellenic roots. He is facing imprisonment on charges of spreading 'separatist propaganda' with this book and could face between 14 months and 4 years in prison if convicted. WiPC also notes that hundreds of books are banned in Turkey. While their publishers and writers are rarely imprisoned nowadays, fines are extremely common. Court cases often result in acquittals, but those being tried find their work adversely affected by the emotional and financial toll that comes from having to defend themselves. The bannings are typically against books and journals that explore four main topics: the Kurds, where any sympathy or support for them is seen as separatist propaganda and hence prohibited; other ethnic minorities (such as the Armenians and the Greeks), discussion of which can result in similar accusations; left-wing ideology, especially when the views espoused are seen as Marxist; and sex, where frank discussion can lead to accusations of obscenity. PEN believes that while the legal apparatus is in place that allows such trials and book bannings to take place, freedom of expression cannot truly said to be enjoyed in Turkey. Click here for a legal overview summarizing the laws that are most commonly employed to prosecute writers. The Freedom of Expression (FoX) Campaign Since 1996, an extraordinary campaign has gathered momentum in Turkey, mounted by a group of writers, artists and intellectuals, headed by the musician and composer Sanar Yurdatapan. The campaign is designed to test to the limits Turkey's laws proscribing freedom of expression and to demonstrate thereby that these laws are both unjust in themselves and unwieldy. The group repeatedly produces booklets that deliberately flout the laws by exploring the issues the laws are designed to censor; sometimes over a thousand activists sign their name to the list as joint publishers, rendering it necessary for the Turkish judiciary to initiate a trial process against each one, for each booklet. The trials are lengthy processes. In most cases individuals are eventually acquitted or face fines for their involvement in the booklets, although occasionally some have served brief prison terms, most notably Sanar Yurdatapan himself. For example, two pamphlets produced in 2000 (FoX: 2000 and FoX: For All) gave rise to a series of prosecutions against its authors under, among other laws, Articles 159 and 312 of the Turkish Penal Code, as well as the Anti-Terror legislation. Some of these cases have resulted in acquittals, while others are ongoing. The cases against Fox: For All are proving especially unwieldy. This pamphlet has been signed by several writers, 65 MPs, and other leading intellectuals in Turkey - at the last count 77,663 people had signed on, declaring themselves as 'co-publishers' and thereby technically indictable. The trial is continuing. Three PEN Centers - San Miguel PEN Center, English PEN and Perth PEN - have adopted and endorsed the FoX campaign as 'an area of special interest'. Conclusion Turkey is at a crossroads, and the signs as to which path it will choose for the future are confused. Attempts to modify its hitherto very repressive legislation have been made and there are clearly bona fide efforts among some elements of Turkey's governing bodies to strengthen the democratic processes in the country. However, there are also many instances of serious censorship and backward-looking oppression. Writers, if rarely imprisoned, are still severely harassed. More information on the campaign and how you can take action can be accessed by clicking on the links below. Please contact ftw@pen.org if you have any questions. Photo above courtesy of www.photomann.com LINKS: Repressive Legislation Main Campaign Page Leyla Zana's Case Ömer Asan's Case