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Transsexual Turkish singer takes on the army
A popular Turkish transsexual singer who infuriated the country's powerful armed forces by questioning a military campaign against Kurdish separatists told a court on Wednesday she would rather die than be silent.Bulent Ersoy is on trial on charges of "turning the people against military service" in a case that has raised concerns about free speech in the European Union candidate, where criticizing the armed forces is taboo. Ersoy, one of Turkey's most famous singers, caused a stir in February by saying that were she able to give birth to a son she would not allow him to fight in neighboring Iraq, where the military had launched operations against Kurdish rebels. Dressed in white flowing linen, golden gem-studded sandals and matching accessories, the flamboyant Ersoy struck a defiant tone at the court in Istanbul. "I spoke completely on behalf of humanity. I will continue to speak and say the same things even if they execute me," she was quoted as telling the judge by state-run Anatolian news agency. Outside the courthouse, a group of fans held signs in Kurdish reading "Long Live the Diva!" Insulting the military, a powerful and respected institution, is a crime in Turkey. Found guilty, she could face up to 2 1/2 years in prison. Ersoy made her comments on a television show at a time when the Turkish army was conducting a major operation against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in northern Iraq. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-25 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=250954 |