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PEN International has joined the International Publishers Association in calling for Turkish publisher Ragip Zarakolu to be released from incarceration.
The owner of Belge publishing house was arrested on terrorism charges and imprisoned on 4th November.
PEN International and the IPA have expressed concern about the effect of the detention on Zarakolu’s health. They said the pre-trial detention period, which is likely to be a year, is contrary to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The two organisations have also appealed for Zarakolu’s son Deniz, and professor and writer Büşra Ersanli, to be released immediately.
Bjørn Smith-Simonsen, chair of IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee (FTPC), said: “By putting this man behind bars, the authorities clearly want Ragip Zarakolu’s important work—documenting ALL freedom to publish violations in Turkey and making them public—to stop. This is unacceptable. The recipient of IPA’s 2008 Freedom to Publish Prize should be released immediately.”