EU Enlargement Commissioner Calls for Reform of Türkiye's Controversial Penal Code Article

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Wednesday that Article 301 of Türkiye's Penal Code needs to be either revised or scrapped entirely, following a meeting in Ankara with Yasar Yakis, chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary EU Adjustment Commission, and commission members.

Rehn noted that roughly 70 cases had been brought under the article, adding that the charges should never have been filed regardless of their outcomes.

The commissioner pointed to freedom of expression as a core EU membership criterion, warning that any candidate country failing to address it will continue to face scrutiny on the matter. He observed that EU member states typically require only about one page to cover the topic in progress reports, while Türkiye's section runs to nine pages.

Yakis, for his part, argued that Türkiye should not be expected to resolve every issue simultaneously while accession negotiations are ongoing, noting that linking free-speech concerns to unrelated chapters such as agriculture was not appropriate.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.