Freedom of expression is the matrix, the indispensable condition, of nearly every other form of freedom. Benjamin Cardozo

In February, Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk will stand trial for "insulting" Turkish national identity, a violation of Article 301 of Turkey's criminal code. If convicted, Pamuk faces three years in prisonsimply for daring to speak about the Armenian genocide and the Kurds.

We urge you to drop all charges against Pamuk and others who face prosecution for nothing other than speaking their minds. Article 301 is an abomination, a sign of national weakness, and it should be removed from the Turkish criminal code.

Free speech is the life-blood of civil society. Until there is freedom of expression in Turkey, there will be no true freedom at all.