A Turkish judge acquitted a prominent novelist today of insulting the Turkish identity in a case regarded as a fresh test of freedom of expression in the European Union candidate nation.
Chief judge Irfan Adil Uncu cleared Elif Shafak shortly after the trial began because of lack of evidence she had committed an offence under article 301 of the penal code.
Ms Shafak was not in court because she was recovering from giving birth last weekend. She had faced charges over comments made by her fictional characters on the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War One.
"I'm very happy with the outcome but only on a personal basis. As long as 301 is out there and interpreted or misinterpreted like that, there'll be many other cases like this . . . This is not the last one," she said.
Ms Shafak was one of a number of writers, journalists and academics pursued by nationalist prosecutors under article 301 for allegedly insulting "Turkishness".
The EU, which Turkey hopes to join, has repeatedly urged Ankara to abolish article 301, saying it violates the principle of freedom of expression and thought. The government is split over whether to comply, fearing a nationalist backlash ahead of elections next year.