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MIT linguistics professor and activist Noam Chomsky is headed for Turkey
for the February 13 trial against Fatih Tas of Aram Publishing House, the
Istanbul-based publisher of his book American Interventionism.

The chief prosecutor of the Istanbul National Security Court has charged
the publisher with the crime of "propaganda against the indivisible unity
of [the] country, nation, and State of the Republic of Turkey."

Fatih Tas could face a year in prison if found guilty. When Chomsky
appears in solidarity, he may become a defendant as well.

Among the passages that the prosecutor singled out is Chomsky's
well-documented assertion that "the Turkish government launched a major
war in the Southeast against the Kurdish population" in 1984.

You can read more about the trial and background at:

http://www.stopcensorship.org

http://www.zmag.org/content/ForeignPolicy/aram0122.cfm

Aram Publishers is asking for people to sign the following letter of
protest to be delivered to the Turkish court on February 13.

We, the undersigned, oppose any efforts to prosecute Professor Noam
Chomsky and his publisher Fatih Tas (Aram Publishing House). This is an
abridgement of fundamental and universal rights of free expression. We
call on the Turkish State to cease this an all similar efforts to limit
free speech, particularly expressions of Kurdish ethnic identity and
cultural rights, including education in the mother tongue.

Please e-mail your endorsements to: aramcase at hotmail.com and indicate your
full name, organizational affiliation (if you desire), city, state, and
country.

Please feel free to forward this to others who may be interested in
signing on, as well.