Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code , which is perceived as being contrary to notion of freedom of speech , states " '' The person who publicly denigrates the Turkish Nation , the Republic of Turkey , the Grand National Assembly of Turkey , the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the State , shall be punished with imprisonment of six months to two years . '' But also it can be only with permission of the minister of justice " However , it also states that " '' Expressions of thought intended to criticize shall not constitute a crime . '' " There have been recent indications that Turkey may repeal or modify Article 301 , after the embarrassment suffered by some high-profile cases . Nationalists within the judicial system , intent on derailing Turkey 's full admission into the European Union , have used Article 301 to initiate trials against people like Nobel Prize – winning Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk , the Turkish novelist Elif Shafak , and the late Hrant Dink for supporting the existence of the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Turkish nationalism