German Gvt Pleased Over Amendment To Art. 301 Of Turkish Penal Code

BERLIN - German government expressed Wednesday its pleasure over the adoption of a bill amending article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
A high ranking official from the German MFA, Andreas Peschke, told reporters in Berlin that with this amendment Turkey took an important step in the way to enhancing fundamental rights, one that was long demanded by the EU.
With this amendment, he said, we expect a decline in the number of lawsuits filed against writers and journalists who express views over delicate issues. He also expressed their expectancy that this amendment would make it harder to file such lawsuits.
Peschke said how the amendment would be taken practically by Turkish prosecutors and judges was also important.
"We want freedom of speech to be enhanced considerably. We will continue to follow up on this," he said.
(OZG-ULG)