Turkey clears pianist Fazil Say of blasphemy
mainFour years after he was convicted of ‘insulting religious beliefs’ in a Tweet he posted, the international pianist and composer Fazil Say was formally acquitted today in Istanbul.
Fazil had been sentenced to 10 months in jail, suspended on condition of good behaviour. He had been reported to the police by three individuals who claimed to be offended by his atheism.
He can now resume his life, free of a criminal record.
This summer, he signed a major record deal with Warner. A boxed set of Mozart sonatas will be released this week.
Good news
I want my Mozart box. I want it NOW
Four years? Things move fast in Turkey. Time to leave that beleaguered country, where a criminal record like this seems more a badge of honour.