ANKARA - Turkey’s Prime Minister said he was open to suggestions on amending a controversial article of the country’s penal code widely considered as limiting freedom of expression. However, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there should be no expectations that the government would abolish article 301, which covers the crime of insulting Turkish identity.
Certain changes could be made to items of the article, Erdogan said, adding that meetings with non-governmental organisations to discuss this had not yielded collective suggestions as yet.
“However, as the government, we are carrying out a separate study,” he said.
“If we do not receive any serious proposals, then we will take our step by deciding ourselves.”
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