Turkey has an article in its penal code (#301) that makes it against the law to insult the state. Amazingly, the subject of the article lives and works here in the United States. Here is the story of an author acquited under that article: It comes from The
Financial Times
Turkey's most celebrated woman novelist was acquitted on Thursday of "insulting Turkishness", in a case regarded as a test of freedom of expression in the country.
Elif Shafak was cleared by the judge, Irfan Adil Uncu, shortly after the trial began because of lack of evidence she had committed an offence under article 301 of the penal code.
The author was not in court because she was recovering from giving birth last weekend. She had faced charges over comments made by her fictional characters on the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War One. . .
Ms Shafak, whose best-selling novels often challenge the humourlessness of official Turkish attitudes to history, politics and culture, is the latest writer to be prosecuted in cases brought by a nationalist lawyers' group that has become obsessed with silencing liberals and intellectuals.
As a liberal Democratic blogger, I have probably been guilty of insulting the state on more than one occasion. I am thankful that there is not an "article 301" in the U.S. penal code. And the last time I checked, my right to free speech is guaranteed in the U.S. constitution.
But my speech is not exactly free. It comes at a cost to my peace of mind, occasionally, like today, for instance. I discovered that my blog had a reader from a National Counter Terrorism Center's web address. The reader had searched out one of my archived posts, linked here: South by Southwest. The post title is "Civil liberties have staying power in the long run." The subject of the post was domestic spying.
I have had visits from other NCTC offices in the past, as well as the House of Representatives Info office and the Sargeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate. I am almost certain that these readers are not fans. Oh, well . . .