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| Europe |
| Turkish Converts to Christianity Indicted for Insulting Turkishness |
| 2007-10-06 |
| A new judge has prolonged the case of two Turkish converts to Christianity after his predecessor resigned under pressure from the plaintiffs’ ultranationalist lawyer. .... Defendants Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal had hoped for a quick dismissal of charges of insulting “Turkishness” at their last hearing on September 12 .... Judge Neset Eren prolonged the case when he told the Silivri court, 45 miles west of Istanbul, that he was stepping down. .... In addition to insulting Turkish identity, Tastan and Topal are charged with reviling Islam and secretly compiling files on private citizens for a local Bible correspondence course. At a hearing in July, State Prosecutor Ahmet Demirhuyuk called for the Christians’ release, saying there was no credible evidence against them. He said that the plaintiffs had give contradictory testimonies and failed to offer evidence that the Christians had cursed Turkey and Islam. .... the case could be prolonged if the judge decides to call on further witnesses from Silvri’s gendarmerie. The military police had ordered the initial investigation of Tastan and Topal. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |