Writer Murat Coşkun is in prison for “provoking hostility among people” with his book titled “Acının Dili Kadın” (Woman, Language of Pain), which was published by Peri Publishing in January 2002. He was sentenced to one year fifteen days.

The writer had to give a statement to the court for his book while he was in the Bursa Prison for being a member of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). After his release, the writer had gone back to Adana, where his family lives.

The writer was sent back to prison when the case about his book was finalized by Istanbul’s 12th High Criminal Court on August 22.

Writer Coşkun has been in jail in Adana for two weeks now

Coşkun and representative of the publishing company Ahmet Önal have also been sued under article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the file for which was sent to the Ministry of Justice on July 2 for permission.  

It is claimed, says publisher Önal, that the 128 page long book has a passage where the members of the Turkish Armed Forces are called “vultures” and another passage where the  propaganda of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) is made through PKK militant Zeynep Kınacı, whose code name is given as Zilan.

“How can Turkey be an honor guest in a book fair?” 

Önal asked how Turkey can be the honor guest of the Frankfurt Book Fair, when it arrest writers and launches investigations against books.

Reminding that Mahmut Alınak was also sent to prison for his ideas just a while ago, Önal condemns the mentality that handcuffs ideas and sents writers like Murat Coşkun to prison. (EÖ/EÜ/TB)