Gul: "Seizing Sik's book could boost its popularity"

President Abdullah Gul said yesterday that although he does not approve of the seizure of all copies of an unpublished book by a jailed journalist, prosecutors may have evidence to require it, adding that the move could fuel future sales of the book. Asked about the controversy over journalist Ahmet Sik's book during a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen, Gul said people in Turkey can write about whatever they want, adding that many books targeting him personally have been published. "I'm closely following the issue," he said. "Personally, I don't approve of that (confiscation). But if the courts and prosecutors know something that we don't, I hope this will be revealed immediately during the legal process. Journalists should be able to write whatever they want; that's a separate issue. But journalists don't have the right to commit a crime. I think banning a book doesn't befit Turkey's image, and I hope the alleged links [of the book with the Ergenekon case] are exposed as soon as possible." He added, "All these developments seem to have been great PR for the book. But the prosecutors have to act in line with what they have. I think that if published, for instance, now the book would go from selling 10,000 copies to selling 100,000."