Frank Pallone: “Last week Turkey put renowned novelist Elif Shafak on trial for charges that she insulted Turkishness because the…”

“Last week Turkey put renowned novelist Elif Shafak on trial for charges that she insulted Turkishness because the character in her latest book refers to the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 as genocide. Nine months pregnant, Shafak was forced to defend herself, or, more specifically, a fictional character in her book, to prevent going to jail. Although Shafak was acquitted, Turkey continues to use forms of intimidation to deny its citizens their right to freedom of expression. It lobbies for its so-called rightful role in the international community, yet it does not live up to democratic principles and standards. Mr. Speaker, in 1915 a systematic and deliberate campaign of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians occurred. Over the following 8 years, over 1.5 million Armenians were tortured and murdered, and more than half a million were forced from their homeland into exile. To this day the Republic of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the fact that this massive crime against humanity took place in the name of Turkish nationalism. When it comes to facing the judgment of history about the Armenian genocide, Turkey has chosen to trample on the rights of its citizens to maintain its lies. The trial of Ms. Shafak is a perfect example of the depths the Turkish authorities will go in order to deny the Armenian genocide. Their refusal simply has no limits. Article 301 of the Turkish penal code was used against Shafak.”