Four Reporters Who Criticized Prohibition of Armenian Genocide Conference AcquittedApril 12, 2006 - 20:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Four prominent Turkish journalists were let off charges of insulting Turkey's courts yesterday, a fifth, however remained on trial. The five were indicted in December after they criticized a court's decision to block a conference in Istanbul that was to discuss the so-called Armenian genocide. The prosecution charged the five journalists under articles that penalize insults to the judiciary and attempts to influence the justice, such charges can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The journalists accused were Hasan Cemal, İsmet Berkan, Haluk Şahin and Erol Katircioglu. The charges were dropped on grounds that prosecutors had not filed charges within the required two-month period following the publication of the articles. The trial of Murat Belge a columnist for the liberal Radikal newspaper will continue. Like Sahin, Katircioglu and Belge are also columnists for Radikal, while Berkan is also the newspaper's editor-in-chief. Cemal is a senior editorialist for the mass-selling Milliyet, reported Hurriyet. To remind, the journalists stood trial because they criticized the court decision to bar the Armenian Genocide Conference in Istanbul. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |