Court Trying Books Keeps to "Obscenity Board"s Opinion

The expert report has not proved enough to convince an Istanbul Court that the three books included in the "Sexual books" series of Sel Publishing are not obscene. The court is awaiting the opinion of the Prime Ministry Board for Protecting Children from Obscene Publications.

The expert report, delivered to court on 25 May, states that "The Fairy's Pendulum," by Ben Mila, "The Exploits of a Young Don Juan" by Guillaume Apollinaire, and "Letters of a Well-Mannered and Informed Bourgeois Woman" by French P.V. are literary works and added that they could not be the subjects of a trial.

Second expert: Original and free design should be protected

In this report, prepared by the expert committee made up of Prof. Dr. Osman Senemoglu, the dean of the Science Literature Faculty of Galatasaray University, Assistant Associate Professor Dr. Atilla Demircioglu and Associate Professor Dr. Ali Kemal Yildiz from the Law Faculty of Bahcesehir University, it is stated that the books have a "literary" nature;  it is added that "original and free design in artwork should be overseen."

Publisher Irfan Sanci had strongly reacted against a previous expert report and had demanded that a report is requested from another expert.

Publisher Sanci and translator Yerguz stand trial

The court however, has decided to wait for the opinion of the Board and postponed the case to 2 November. Publisher Irfan Sanci faces up to nine years in prison, while translator Ismail Yerguz faces up to six years in prison on grounds that the three books are obscene.

The European Council of Literature Translators' Establishments (CEATL) had sent a letter protesting the trial of publisher Irfan Sanci and the referral to the aforementioned board.

CEATL also reminded that Turkey has previously been penalised by the European Court of Human Rights for sanction imposed on the book "The Eleven Thousand Rods" by Apollinaire.

Publisher Sanci, during the hearing on 25 May, had argued that books for adults may not be examined by The Prime Ministry Board for the Protection of Children from Harmful Publications, but was not able to convince the court. (EO/EA)