ANKARA - Turkey`s justice minister expressed thought on Tuesday that an amendment to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) might be adopted in the following week.
Article 301 makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness".
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said Turkish parliament might pass an amendment to the article in the following week.
Sahin said the article actually related to journalists, authors and intellectuals.
"The amendment adopted by the Parliament`s Justice Committee was very close to suggestions of the press organs, and therefore I am pleased to see that it may meet expectations," he told reporters.
Sahin said everybody should be careful when expressing views and opinions and should not harm the esteem of any institution or organization.
The parliament`s justice committee adopted the bill on amendment to Article 301 on April 18th.
Under the amendments proposed by the government, the term "Turkishness" will be replaced by the "Turkish nation," and the term "Republic" will be replaced with "State of the Republic of Turkey."
The committee agreed to designate the justice minister to approve any prosecution under the law. The initial proposal by the government sought president`s green light to prosecutors before they could press any charges related with the article.
The committee also removed from the amendment bill presidential approval for prosecution under Article 301, which criminalizes insults against "national interests."
The bill lowers the maximum punishment from three years to two years, opening the way for the postponement of the prison term of those convicted under Article 301.
(BRC-MS)