Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran is a former member of the Prime Ministerial Human Rights Consulting Committee which prepared a "Minority Report" for the government in 2005. Oran and a co-author, Prof. Dr. Kaboglu, were subsequently tried, but then acquitted, for "inciting hatred" and "degrading Turkishness, the Republic, the state and state organs".

Four people from different parts of Turkey have now been charged with sending e-mails containing insults and threats to Prof. Dr. Oran, and the trial has begun at a court of peace in Ankara, Turkey's capital.

After Oran had filed a complaint, the culprits were identified through their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. All four accused deny the charges.

Trial has begun

At yesterday's hearing, Oran, two of the suspects and their lawyer Oya Aydin were present. One of the accused, Dursun Kaya, is a night security guard at the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprise (TIGEM), while Figen Arslan is an office worker in the Directorate's Secretariat of the Commercial Ministry. Defense lawyer Aydin rejected the charges. Two of the accused have yet to make statements.

The accused rejected the court's offer of a settlement, and Prof. Dr. Oran said: "I cannot settle with people who have threatened me with death". (EÖ/TK/AG)