News Scan Dec 4rd 2015 – Growing number of cases opened against individuals in Turkey for “insulting” the president

Jurists criticize charges over ‘insulting’ president, say matter is ‘political’

The growing number of court cases opened against individuals in Turkey on charges of “insulting” the president has prompted several professional chambers of jurists to hold a workshop titled “The crime of insulting the president’s contradiction with the constitution and proposals for a solution”  on the issue, during which they asserted the issue was a “political” one which needed to be fought against through political methods.

Many academics hold the conviction that Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TSK) which covers “insulting the president” breaches both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), according to Hakan Canduran, the president of the Ankara Bar association. Serious violations of human rights have been experienced because judicial bodies do not favor freedom of expression while making their decisions on issues related to this article, Canduran said. – http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/jurists-criticize-charges-over-insulting-president-say-matter-is-political.aspx?pageID=238&nID=92107&NewsCatID=509

Warships build up in Mediterranean amid rising tension over Syria

The United States has three destroyer ships in the Mediterranean, while France has five ships and Italy has two ships. Of the five French ships, one is an aircraft carrier, two are destroyers, one is a frigate and one is an intelligence ship. Britain, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Greece and the Netherlands also have one ship in the region. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=447&GalleryID=2678