he Nobel laureate’s book Nights of Plague has led to fresh charges despite an earlier dismissal, drawing international concern over free expression in Turkey.
Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel laureate and celebrated Turkish author, is once again under investigation by the Turkish state for allegedly insulting the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and ridiculing the Turkish flag in his novel Nights of Plague. The book, published in March 2021, is set on a fictional Ottoman island during a bubonic plague outbreak in the early 1900s.
Pamuk, who denies the accusations, has faced previous charges for “insulting Turkishness,” notably after speaking about the 1915 massacres of Armenians and Kurds in a 2005 interview. These charges were dismissed in 2006, the same year he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The recent investigation stems from a complaint filed by lawyer Tarcan Ülük in April, accusing Pamuk of inciting “hatred and animosity” by disrespecting Atatürk and the national flag. Although an Istanbul court initially dismissed the case due to insufficient evidence, Ülük’s appeal has led to the reopening of the investigation.
Pamuk has expressed that his novel was written with respect for Atatürk and the leaders who established modern Turkey. “There is no disrespect for the heroic founders of the nation states or for Atatürk,” Pamuk stated.
This new investigation has sparked concern from international free speech organizations, including PEN International, which has criticized the Turkish authorities for using defamation laws to silence writers. PEN America’s Karin Deutsch Karlekar called the reopening of the case a sign of Turkey’s broader crackdown on free expression and creativity.
Under Turkish law, Law 5816, which protects “the memory of Atatürk,” Pamuk could face up to three years in prison if found guilty.
