Wednesday, January 31, citing "security fears," after two Christians were tried for "insulting Turkishness."
Wednesday’s developments came amid rising religious tensions in Turkey, linked to the murder this month of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul. Like Pamuk, he had been critical of Turkey’s treatment of its Armenian and Kurdish minorities.
Both men were tried on a charge of "insulting Turkishness" by using the term "genocide" to describe the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenian as well as Assyrian and Hellenic Christians carried out by Turkish Ottoman forces in the 1915-1917 period.
Turkey’s government has denied the figure or the involvement of Turkish forces in mass killings and rejects the term "genocide" and no more than 300,000 Armenians perished at the time.
WARNING SHOUTS
As the men accused of involvement in Dink’s murder were taken into court, one reportedly shouted a warning that Pamuk was next on their hit list. German police say they are unaware of any specific threat, but the international persecuted writer’s group PEN says the death threat against Pamuk should be taken seriously.
The cancellation of Pamu’s German trip also came two days after two Christians, who converted from Islam, appeared in front of a court in Silivri, 72 kilometers (45 miles) west of Istanbul for allegedly insulting the Turkish identity.
They also are reportedly accused under less-known penal statutes of reviling Islam and secretly compiling private data on Turkish citizens for a Bible correspondence course.
Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal who reportedly arrived from Istanbul with their lawyer for the trial amid tight security on Monday, January 29, have denied the charges.
"ILLEGAL" STATEMENTS
Fatih Kose, 23, reportedly took the witness stand and contradicted himself several times as to where and when he had heard specific "illegal" statements, and from which of the two defendants.
"This was exactly a plot, a conspiracy. The youths asked for Bibles, for brochures, they go of their own accord to church – and then they come and complain," Defense lawyer Haydar Polat was quoted as saying by Compass Direct News agency.
Of Turkey’s 72 million people, Armenians, Greeks, Syriacs, Catholics, Protestants, as well as Jews – make up less than one percent of the country, according to some estimates. Many Protestant Christians in the country converted from Islam. (With reports from Turkey).
