Pianist Fazıl Say sentenced to ten months in prison

ISTANBUL | 20-09-2013 | Istanbul 19th Court of First Instance has sentenced world-renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say to ten months in prison for allegedly insulting Islamic religious values on social network Twitter.

The famed pianist was accused of blasphemy in April after he tweeted verses by Persian poet Omer Khayyam which said that ““You say its rivers will flow in wine. Is the Garden of Eden a drinking house? You say you will give two houris to each Muslim. Is the Garden of Eden a whorehouse?”

The court which had sentenced Say to ten months in prison in April ruled a re-tiral after he demanded the suspension of the sentence and appealed the ruling. The court delayed the announcement of the verdict and said Say would be sent to jail if he commits a similar crime in the next five years.

Say has once again been sentenced to ten months in a retrial on Friday, with the court upholding the prison sentence ruled earlier.

The prosecutor’s office has found that Say’s statements run contrary to the first and third points of Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) which concern the offenses of “fomenting hatred and enmity among the public” and “insulting religious values.”

The pianist will be able to appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court of Appeals and the case will be dropped if Say does not commit another crime within two years. (ANF)