French writers, publishers condemn Turkey’s banning of Apollinaire

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

Sel Publishing House owner İrfan Sancı is one of two suspects in the case. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK

French writers and publishers wrote a letter to the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB), criticizing a court case on an “offensive” book written by Guillaume Apollinaire. 

The Society of Men of Letters of France (SGDLF), French Publishers Association (SNE) and French Translators Association (SFT) have penned a letter criticizing a lawsuit in which Sel Publishing House owner İrfan Sancı and translator İsmail Yerguz have been convicted with 6 to 10 years imprisonment for releasing an Apollinaire book, “Young Don Juan’s Adventures.”

“All over the world, Apollinaire books are used to teach in schools. His books are a universal literature heritage,” the letter read. “Any decision against publishing his books will contradict democratic principles and breach international human rights agreements that Turkey is a part of.” 

Sancı and Yerguz were acquitted of the charges of “intermediating the publishing of offensive publications” made against them in 2010, but the Supreme Court of appeals reversed the acquittal ruling, demanding a retrial of the case. The next hearing will be held on Dec. 17, with the court awaiting a translation of an earlier European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision regarding the suit. 

“We are calling on the court to abide by the previous acquittal ruling for Sancı and Yerguz,” the letter read. 

Last month, Sancı criticized the decision, saying the ruling will contribute to shaping Turkey’s publishing sector by enforcing the “self-censorship mechanism.”