N. Barzani calls for a Federal Democratic Parliamentary State in Iraq. 

June 25, 2002 

A court on Monday formally charged a Turkish economist with spreading separatist propaganda after he referred to imprisoned Kurdish terrorist leader as "Mr." Abullah Ocalan. 

It is against Turkish law to show support for Ocalan or his seperatist terror organization Kurdistan Workers Party. 

Some 37,000 people were killed as a result of the terrorists' 15-year battle for Kurdish autonomy and Turkey blames Ocalan for all of the deaths. 

Turkish media routinely calls him the "baby killer" or "terrorist chieftain." Atilla Yesilada, an economist and former commentator on Turkey's financial news channel CNBC-e, used the word "sayin" before Ocalan's name at a conference earlier this month, angering participants. "Sayin" means "mister" and is used to show respect. 

Yesilada was briefly detained on Monday for questioning by court officials. The court later filed formal charges against him and he was released pending the outcome of his trial. He could face a maximum three years in prison under an anti-terrorism law. No trial date has been set. 

Turkey has in the past jailed writers and journalists for calling for a peaceful and not a military end to the fighting. Insulting the military is also illegal in Turkey. 

The country aspires to join the European Union and is under pressure to scrap laws that restrict freedom of expression. Yesilada has defended himself saying that he refers to everyone as "sayin." 

Ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 and is awaiting a European Court of Human Rights verdict on his appeal. 

Last week, former premier Tansu Ciller also referred to Ocalan as "sayin" during a press conference, but corrected herself immediately.

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