Nobel Laureates Agree: Armenia & Turkey Should Cooperate!

Too bad they're all wrong.

...the Nobel Prize winners call on the Turkish government to end up with discrimination towards national and religious minorities and cancel Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which supposes criminal punishment for "insulting Turkishness". Nobel Prize winners call on Armenia to "give opportunity for holding free and fair elections, as well as respect human rights." Alongside they urge Turkey to open borders with neighboring Armenia, speed up mutual contacts and establish full diplomatic relations

In particular, the [U.N.] Convention says, "events at the beginning of the 20th century contain all elements of Genocide, approved by the convention," the document underscores

A lot of the points are valid, but Turkey has a lot of work to do before the opening of the border can be discussed.

Source: Yerkir

Orhan Pamuk to Return to Turkey

In case you have not heard of him, Orhan Pamuk is a Turkish writer and a Nobel Prize winner who has dared to talk about the Armenian Genocide. In fact, he was charged under Turkey's Penal Code Article 301, which if you remember calls for imprisonment for anyone who "insults Turkishness," though those charges were later dropped.

Turkish Sabah reports that Pamuk has already bought a ticket to return to Turkey by a plane to take off from New York in the evening of April 5th.

The newspaper also reminds that the Nobel Prize winner left Istanbul after Hrant Dink’s assassination departing for New York. Earlier Media reported that Pamuk, fearing for his life, has left Turkey withdrawing a large amount from his account. One of the suspects of Hrant Dink’s assassination has advised Orhan Pamuk "to think it over."

Here is a country which cannot offer its Nobel Prize winning writer the haven that he needs to produce works for Turkey, even if they speak against Turkey's longstanding policy of denial and manipulation. If you recall, Taner Akcam is another Turkish writer who has received much controversy because of his acceptance of the Armenian Genocide.

Source: Yerkir