WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday commended Turkey's government for seeking to revise a law that limits free speech, but urged it also to protect the rights of religious minorities. In remarks to the American Turkish Council in Washington, Rice encouraged predominantly Muslim Turkey, a key U.S. and NATO ally, to stay true to democratic secular principles.
"We commend Prime Minister (Tayyip) Erdogan for stating recently that parliament will amend Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which criminalizes insulting Turkishness," she said.
Turkey's ruling AK party submitted to parliament last week the long-awaited revision to the law, which has been used to prosecute dozens of writers, including Nobel Literature Prize winner Orhan Pamuk.
"Expressing one's belief is not an insult to the state, it is one of the highest forms of citizenship," Rice said.
Turkish government officials acknowledge the law has embarrassed Turkey abroad, but reform has been delayed several times because of opposition from nationalists........(read more)
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