Say was originally sentenced on April 15. PHOTO: AFP
ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court on Friday again handed a 10-month suspended jail term to world-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say during a retrial over social media posts deemed religiously offensive, his lawyer said.
Say, who was not present at Friday's hearing, was also placed on a two-year probation, his lawyer Meltem Akyol told AFP, adding that he planned to appeal the verdict.
Say was originally sentenced on April 15 for allegedly inciting religious hatred and insulating Islamic values in a series of tweets he posted last year.
A higher Istanbul court then overturned the conviction on "procedural flaws" and a retrial was ordered.
On Friday, the 43-year-old virtuoso, who has played with the philharmonic orchestras of Berlin, New York, Tokyo and Israel, shrugged off his sentence.
"Tomorrow, I will continue to live and to produce," he wrote in a tweet. "By continuing to live, by continuing to think as a free man, I will produce even better work."
Say was prosecuted for a series of tweets criticising Muslims.
Another tweet which prosecutors say explicitly insulted religious values, questions why a call to prayer was so short.
The high-profile case has irked secular Turks, who are worried about what they see a creeping conservatism in the predominantly Muslim country.
Say has accused the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of being behind the case against him.
The case has also stoked fears of growing restrictions on freedom of expression in a country which has long sought to join the European Union.
Dozens of journalists are in detention in Turkey, as well as lawyers, politicians and lawmakers -- most of them accused of plotting against the government or having links with the outlawed Kurdish rebel movement the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
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@Babashakkari: Insult laws are frequently used to suppress valid, rational critique, and threats of legal sentence, owing to their harassing nature, most certainly are a punishment of sorts designed to silence alternative opinions.
I personally feel that even hate speech should be permitted, although I believe that the just should speak up to debunk hate speech and condemn it, albeit not by bringing legal or other forms of harassment to act as a form of compulsion in religion.
Thank goodness the Baha’i teachings which are for this age abolish blasphemy laws;
“Should any stab you to the heart, be ye a healing salve unto his sores; should any taunt and mock at you, meet him with love.” ~Abdul-Baha
Religion, like every other system should also be subject to scrutiny. People who voice their opinion should have the freedom to do so.
You can easily search the net and see his tweets, they are pretty rude. And a "warning" by court is not a punishment.
Just to Clarify and Educate some people who do no bother to do any research before posting comments.
His sentence is SUSPENDED which says that if he insults Muslims again within next 5 years he will be sent to jail for 10 months. It is really a warning not a punishment.
Turkey does not punish someone for being secular. He has full freedom to be an atheist in Turkey. He used insulting words, and he is essentially warned for that. Freedom of speech comes with responsibility and is one uses it to insult anyone (religious, racial or any other kind) then it has to me reprimanded. There are other secular countries which profess freedom of speech but you can go to jail or at least presented in court for uttering racial slurs or denying holocaust as an opinion (because that offends some people in that country).
Atheist extremism cannot be equated with Secularism and is as toxic as religious extremism. Turkey was practising anti-religion extremism until recently and just now it is moving towards real secularism, where you can practice your believes (including being an atheist) but insulting others is not accepted.
It seems that Pakistan might or might not get any lessons from Turkey regarding curbing extremism, but Turkey sure did inspiration regarding enforcing blasphemy on petty issues.
The guy has claimed in public, that he is an atheist...so on whatever objections, the case was being contested upon,pales in comparison...
With every blasphemy conviction, they reveal a huge chink in the armor in their outwardly strong beliefs. No one who is secure in his faith and beliefs should have to fear harmless tweets, comments, speeches, cartoons, and satire. A good foundation built on moral and defensible teachings should be enough to counter any attack.
Looks like Turkey and Pakistan are truly turning into one nation, two states.