By Yunus Ege and Muhammed Enes Can
ISTANBUL
A court in Istanbul acquitted prominent Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say of a blasphemy charge Wednesday.
The Criminal Court of First Instance No: 71 ordered that Say be acquitted of “publicly humiliating religious values adopted by a certain part of the society” on the grounds that legal elements of the crime were not met, according to a judicial source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Say had previously been sentenced to 10 months in prison in April 2013 over tweets allegedly poking fun at Islam’s concept of the afterlife and the Muslim call to prayer.
Say’s sentence was suspended in September 2013, and Say had filed an appeal. The decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in October 2015.
Wednesday’s hearing was a rehearing of the case following the Supreme Court decision.
The world-renowned pianist has played with the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and has also served as a cultural ambassador for the EU.
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