Istanbul court clears writer of ‘insulting Turkishness’

A TURKISH court yesterday acquitted Elif Shafak, one of that country’s leading authors, saying there was no evidence that she had “insulted Turkishness” in a novel.

The decision is likely to appease the European Union which has warned Turkey that putting writers and journalists on trial under repressive laws could hamper its efforts to join the bloc.

The court, which opened Ms Shafak’s trial yesterday, concluded — after a 90-minute session — that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that she committed a crime.