Sevan Nishanyan sentenced to 13.5 months incarceration

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS. The 14th Court of Magistrates of Istanbul sentenced prominent Armenian linguist, writer and activist from Constantinople Sevan Nishanyan to 13,5 months of imprisonment for insulting Prophet Muhammad. As reports "Armenpress", Turkish Radikal periodical stated this.

The claimant demanded 1,5 years of incarceration "for defying religious values." In accordance with the decision of the court the verdict cannot be eliminated in case of the fine's payment.

Touching upon the verdict of the court, Sevan Nishanyan stated: "Here we encounter a systematic policy. This is not the court's decision. I am confident that the Government interfered in this case." Among other thing he noted that this is not a common domestic policy issue, but this is an issue of foreign policy as well and the European Court of Human Rights must pay a serious attention to it.