When respect is a crime
The week's news at a glance.
Diyarbakir, Turkey
A Kurdish politician was sentenced to six months in prison this week for referring to jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan as Mr. Ocalan. The court said that Ahmet Turk, leader of the Democratic Society Party, was implying respect for Ocalan by calling him “Bey,” or Mister. It was Turk’s second conviction in a week. Last week, he was sentenced to 18 months for distributing party materials in the Kurdish language; Turkish law allows distribution of political literature only in Turkish. Democratic Society Party officials said authorities are trying to harass the pro-Kurdish party out of existence before the general elections later this year. Kurds make up about 20 percent of Turkey’s population.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway