A Turkish court yesterday suspended the trial of author Orhan Pamuk on charges of insulting the nation pending government authorization to proceed, amid intense international criticism of the case.
The ruling to suspend hearings until Feb. 7 pending an instruction from the justice ministry to proceed came in a brief but tense hearing marred by far-right demonstrators assaulting and booing Pamuk as he made his way into and out of the cramped courtroom.
The court had ruled on Dec. 2 that since the alleged offence was committed before Turkey amended its penal code earlier this year, Pamuk should be judged under the old law, which requires a direct order from the justice ministry for the trial to proceed.
With no authorization coming by the time the hearing began, the court agreed to a prosecution request to suspend the trial until the ministry reaches a decision on whether or not to try Pamuk.
The 53-year-old Pamuk, the author of books such as Snow and My Name is Red, is accused of "denigrating the Turkish national identity" in remarks published in a Swiss magazine in February concerning the Armenian massacres of World War I.
Turkey denies that a genocide ever took place during World War I and claims that the numbers of Armenians who died were much lower than the 1.5 million figure often cited.
He faces six months to three years in jail if convicted.
The hearing was tense throughout, with a woman demonstrator hitting Pamuk on the head with a folder as he was entering the court building amid chants of "traitor," and "sold out intellectuals."
At the end of the hearing, several demonstrators tried to stop Pamuk's car by throwing themselves on the hood while others threw eggs at people leaving the courthouse.
The trial has been closely followed by the EU which sees it as a test of freedom of expression in this candidate country and has warned Ankara that the outcome could scupper its hopes of joining the bloc.
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