Turkish Supreme Court Releases Jehovah’s Witnesses
THERE was great joy among the 23 Jehovah’s Witnesses released on June 14, 1985, after having spent a year in prison in Ankara. In 1984 they had been sentenced to terms ranging from four to six years by the State Security Court in Ankara. That court had found them guilty of violating article 163 of the penal code, which forbids religious activity aimed at ‘changing the social, economic, political, or legal order of the state.’ The court rejected their status as a religion.—See The Watchtower, April 1, 1985.
The verdict had been appealed, and on May 29, 1985, a hearing was granted before the Supreme Court of Turkey. At that hearing, a request was made to annul the verdict on the grounds that Jehovah’s Witnesses are indeed a religious group and that there is no evidence for the crime charged.
Defense counsel pointed out that in all previous court cases in the country Jehovah’s Witnesses had been acquitted of that same charge, and that all legal experts who had examined the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses over the past 20 years had never found any violation of the law. The attorneys also pointed out that the verdict was based on prejudiced and false information.
Court Decides
On June 19, 1985, the Supreme Court gave its unanimous decision. It annulled the verdict of the State Security Court and ordered the immediate release of the 23 Witnesses. The Court emphasized that under Turkey’s constitution all religions have the same right to worship and to spread their beliefs, provided they do not interfere in the affairs of the State.
The Supreme Court pointed out that the accused had been convicted “just because of being . . . Jehovah’s Witnesses.” And that verdict had been based on the reports of two religiously prejudiced “experts.” These had stated that Jehovah’s Witnesses were “objectionable from the standpoint of religious unity and worship.” But the Supreme Court showed that this was in no way evidence that the actions of the Witnesses violated article 163.
The Court concluded that Jehovah’s Witnesses had not overstepped the boundary of religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution. The Court showed that therefore “a violation and misuse of freedom for evil purposes had not materialized.”
This judgment is in harmony with the facts. It is also in harmony with the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal in 1980. That court clearly stated that the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not subversive and does not constitute a danger to the country. It also said: “If one day the things occur which the accused ones believe and God’s rule will be established over the world, a punishment of the accused ones because of such a belief will not prevent such events. But if their expectation is just a fancy idea and empty belief, their belief can in no way cause harm to our laical order of the State.”
So all the accusations, as well as the information given by the two religiously prejudiced “experts,” have been proved false. The nonpolitical and purely religious nature of the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses has again been established.
Complete Acquittal Desired
Although the verdict has been annulled, the case has been turned over to the State Security Court for reexamination. It is hoped that this time the court will judge according to the facts and will totally acquit the accused ones of the charges.
Freedom-loving people all over the world will continue to watch for the outcome of this matter. They want to see if Jehovah’s Witnesses will enjoy full freedom of worship. If this proves to be the case, then it can rightly be said that Turkey is endeavoring to live up to its claim that it is a democratic country.