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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12. ARMINFO. An internationally acclaimed Turkish novelist who faces prosecution for speaking out about the mass slaughter of Armenians last century has said the case against him shows his country may not be ready to join the European Union.
Orhan Pamuk, who faces up to three years in jail if convicted at his trial in December of "denigrating Turkey", said that reforms promised by the Turkish government in return for a guarantee of talks on EU membership had not materialised. In his first interview since the prosecution was announced, Pamuk declared: "Unfortunately I do not believe that Turkey has come very far in this respect. Nothing has happened over the past year. Turkey has sat on the promises that Europe has given and taken it easy."
Although forbidden to comment directly on his own case, the best-selling author added: "Turkey has not changed so much. Laws have been changed, but the thought processes, our culture and our way of seeing things... that has not changed much. "There have been legal and political changes in the hope of EU membership. But the trial opened against me shows... that the state prosecutors have not changed very much. It shows that there is not much tolerance in society." Talks on membership are due to start next month.
Orhan Pamuk, who faces up to three years in jail if convicted at his trial in December of "denigrating Turkey", said that reforms promised by the Turkish government in return for a guarantee of talks on EU membership had not materialised. In his first interview since the prosecution was announced, Pamuk declared: "Unfortunately I do not believe that Turkey has come very far in this respect. Nothing has happened over the past year. Turkey has sat on the promises that Europe has given and taken it easy."
Although forbidden to comment directly on his own case, the best-selling author added: "Turkey has not changed so much. Laws have been changed, but the thought processes, our culture and our way of seeing things... that has not changed much. "There have been legal and political changes in the hope of EU membership. But the trial opened against me shows... that the state prosecutors have not changed very much. It shows that there is not much tolerance in society." Talks on membership are due to start next month.