Orhan Pamuk did not go to jail only because of severe international pressure, many before him did. Do you really think that it´s so democratic that people get to be sued for saying "so many people died and you can´t talk about it in Turkey"?

Man has a life span of say 70-80 years. I have completed more than half of it. I have made the acquaintance of thousands of people from various countries. This experience entitles me to say a few words about them, writers do that too, philosophers rave about them and poets elaborate on their pecularities. They all rely on their first hand experience to be able to that.

Somehow, there is a typical anti-muslim, anti-turkish sentiment producing all sorts of political consequences throughout Europe. They use this sentiment to win elections. Referandums turn out negative.

I am sorry that I disagree with you but Europe is against Turkey and Islam and this is evident in their visa policies, unconditional support of the other thesis whenever Turkey forms one of the parties. Isn´t this a tell-tale proof of a deep rooted prejudice?  What did you think about Turkey before coming to see it? I know many people have been positively surprized on finding a country quite different from what they were told back home. 

There is no denying some of these also apply to Turkey but the sophisticated, iron-clad anti-Turkish sentiment prevalent in Europe is beyond any comparison.

There are millions of potential  tourists and businessmen who for all intents and purposes are eligible for entering a European country but they are daunted at the consulates where they are asked reports of bank balance sheets whereas this is private information from a legal point of view. Should there be the smalles suspicion about your intentions, you are denied of entry. You might obtain the visa and travel to a European country, there a policeman may send you back home. Everyone else is potentially good regardless of how they actually are but if you are a Turk you are potentially bad.

How can you send someone to jail when there is no law that punish saying there was a genocide? In Switzerland there is such a law. Yes there would be some reactions by masses and even death threats if somebody does so as in Pamuk case but our law system doesn´t have something like that law in Switzerland.

If you know someone jailed in Turkey because they said there was a genocide, let us know. You sound like knowing something that we don´t know.

 I tend to agree with you vinyards, especially with regards to visas.  I live in the US and my husband is an immigrant from Turkey.  We still have to "prove" that we are a legitimate couple even though we have been married for some years now and have a child together.  If he were from a European country, we would not be so scrutinized.  What chaps me even more, is that Turkey is a member of NATO, considered an friend to the US.....this is a fact that is quicky forgotten in the immigration process, yet quickly remembered when it seems convenient to politicians.  My personal opinion is that politicians are currently exploiting fears that people have about muslims in general.  I think most people are fairly tolerant but when their fears are fed, they become very irrational! 

According to Ifop (french institute for public opinion) 41% of french are against the minarets vs 22% in year 2001.

Lefigaro recent poll showed that 73% of french are against building new minarets in france and Dr spiegel´s poll reported 78% of germans against minarets.

According to the article, a minaret ,even without a muezzin, shows "too much" the presence of muslims in France.

(le figaro : http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2009/12/02/01016-20091202ARTFIG00629-les-francais-de-plus-en-plus-hostiles-aux-mosquees-.php)

The International Publishers Association (IPA) and the Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN strongly condemn the sentencing of publisher Ragip Zarakolu in stanbul on 17 June for "insulting the State" (Article 301 Turkish Penal Code - TPC). The organisations are especially alarmed that this is the first conviction since this article was slightly amended on 30 April 2008, after over 1,000 people, including writers, publishers and journalists, have been brought to the courts in the three years since its inception in 2005. IPA and PEN have been calling for the repeal of this law ever since it was presented in draft form, and are deeply disappointed that rather than remove this legislation, the amendments are simply cosmetic. Around 29 writers and journalists are on trial today under Article 301. They are among a total of 79 charged under a range of laws that impinge on the right to free speech, including Article 318 that has led numerous commentators on conscientious objection to the courts, and a raft of articles under Anti Terror legislation and against "incitement" that have been used against writers on the Kurdish issues. There is clearly much more to do to bring Turkey in line with its international requirements that safeguard free expression.

...

The case leading to the conviction of Ragip Zarakolu was initiated in December 2004 for the publication of London-based author George Jerjian´s book entitled: The truth will setus free/Armenians and Turks reconciled.

http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/news/turkey-publisher-sentenced-under-article-301 

OK but I was asking the name of someone sent to jail because of saying there was a genocide. Please pay attention to the red bold text. Was I  not clear to you or was it a misunderstanding on your side?

By that standard, I can judge heavily about Turkish men. I have met many Turkish men from different regions in Turkey, since I have travelled around the country for a bit. This experience entitles me to say a bit about them. About 10% of the men had serious gambling problems, and their families suffered for this. About 95% of the Turkish men were cheating on either there wives, their fiancees, or their girlfriends. Some of them, were even cheating on their first wife with a second wife, on their second wife with a serious girlfriend, and with their serious girlfriend with one night stands. About 60% had used women to get visa´s or money or both. This would mean that by my experiences, those rules European countries have about Turkish younger men having difficulty to get a visa, are actually pretty sound.

What I could also do, is just recognize the limit of my own experiences, and recognize my lack of knowledge on the issue of ALL Turkish men, instead of generalizing.

Barba, you are spot on with your description of Turkish men. The scope of that could be increased to cover most men on earth. You could safely say most, many, too many or whatever you like. We are not merely talking about observations though. On the contrary, what I mentioned in my previous post was about bureaucratic formalities, results of referandums etc.

Hayallah

It seems you again managed to divert the thread to TCK 301.  We have also similar laws that punishes insulting symbols, amblems, flags and president of foreign nations. Why does not anyone want it to be abolished as well? EU missed those i think . As far as i remember Turkish Minister of Justice  once exampled convictions because of similar laws like 301 in other countries...