Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Converts in Turkey Charged under Speech Law

"A Turkish prosecutor slapped criminal charges against two converts to Christianity earlier this month, accusing them of “insulting Turkishness,” inciting hatred against Islam and secretly compiling data on private citizens for a local Bible correspondence course, Compass Direct News reports. Hakan Tastan, 37, and Turan Topal, 46, joined the ranks of 97 other Turkish citizens hauled into court in the last 16 months over alleged violations of the country’s controversial Article 301 restricting freedom of speech. If convicted, the accused men could be sentenced from six months up to three years in prison. “It’s all lies,” Topal told Compass. “Someone is trying to make us look like a Christian tarikat [banned religious sect].”
Crosswalk.com - Religion Today Summaries - Nov. 1, 2006

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