ISTANBUL (PanArmenian)—The prison sentence of Turkish-Armenian linguist and writer Sevan Nisanian, who was jailed on charges of illegal construction, has been increased to 11 years and 8 months, Agos reports.
Nisanian, imprisoned at the Aydın Yenipazar Prison at the moment, was sentenced in a different case to a total of 5 years 2 months 15 days imprisonment and given an additional fine of 12.600 TL by the Selçuk 2. Criminal Court of First Instance for opposing the Code of Protection of Cultural and Natural Properties (KTVKK). With the addition of this sentence, Nisanian’s total prison sentence now stands at 11 years 8 months. Nisanian’s lawyer Murat Akçı has stated that they will appeal these rulings as well.
In March, the sentence passed for the same charge was reversed by the Supreme Court of Appeals, however, following a reassessment of the four files by the local court, Nisanian was found guilty of “intentionally causing damage to immovable cultural assets under protection”. Akçı explained that they did not even know the number of cases filed against Nisanian on such charges, because regional protection decisions that form the basis of such charges are taken without being served to the person in question. Therefore, the person who is sentenced does not even know which of his or her acts was deemed to be within the scope of crime.
Akçı appealed to the Constitutional Court (AYM) for a sentence Nisanian received for the same charges. Akçı explains that the AYM had previously quashed a similar ruling, but that a legal vacuum that remains because of the failure to amend the law leads the Supreme Court of Appeals to approve the same rulings. According to Akçı, if the Constitutional Court does not produce the expected ruling, Nisanian might remain in prison for years. There is not a single other case in which a person is held in a closed prison for the crime Nisanian is charged with. Akçı believes that this situation represents the ‘success’ of those who want to silence Sevan Nisanian.
Turkey…the same old chestnut! And some of the European leaders are bending backward to bring this backward country into Europe en masse….Now if there was a similar scenario say in Iran,we would be hammered by papers and the international media day in and day out pointing to how “undemocratic”the legal processes are in that country….but when it comes to the sick man of Europe,everyone is unusually quiet…seems the tenticles of the Turkish delight refreshes parts other sweets “fail”to reach….
The least that we, Armenians can do is to launch a world-wide campaign through “Amnesty International” to put pressure on Turkey to release Sevan Nisanian. Why doesn’t the Armenian government or the opposition parties or the diasporan parties organize such a campaign?
Turkish Justice system, is expandable, enlargeable, increasable and finally incredible. It is all depend where the victim will fit with Allah’s given Turkish penal code of 301, especially toward Armenians!
THE ABOVE COMMENTS ARE VERY FITTING AND MORE INSTEAD OF PUTTING ALL THE BLAME ON
TURKS, DESPOTS LIKE ERDOGHAN AND HIS CRONIES WHY DON’T WE PUT SOME IF NOT ALL THE
BLAME ON THE SO CALLED FREE WORLD. IT’S THE THE SO CALLED FREE WORLD WHO ALLOWED THIS DESPOT TO GET THE SULTANS POSITION.