Turkey: Editor faces jail for alleged Ataturk insult

By Melike Gallenkus

ISTANBUL (AA) - Under an indictment filed Wednesday, a magazine editor could face four-and-a-half years in prison for insulting the founder of modern Turkey.

Mustafa Armagan, the editor-in-chief of Derin Tarih (Deep History) magazine, is accused of insulting Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey’s first president and its founding father.

An indictment filed by Ertugrul Sariyar, Istanbul's Bakirkoy prosecutor, said the May issue of the magazine included an article on Latife Hanim, Ataturk's wife, which insulted Ataturk's memory.

"It is understood that the article was written with criminal intent to discredit Ataturk," the indictment said.

It added that the piece cited a foreign newspaper published in 1926 and a book, but made no reference to historical documents and used information "akin to gossip".

Armagan denied that he had insulted Ataturk's memory.

The case follows separate indictments accusing two other people of insulting Ataturk.

Historian Suleyman Yesilyurt was remanded in custody on May 12 over claims made during a live TV broadcast. Hasan Akar remains at large since the Bakirkoy court issued an arrest warrant for him.