Transsexual star cleared of anti-army charges in Turkey

 
Turkish court rules that famed transsexual singer exercised right to freedom of expression.

 
ISTANBUL - A Turkish court Thursday acquitted a famed transsexual singer of charges of turning the public against military service, citing clauses protecting free speech, Anatolia news agency reported.

Bulent Ersoy, 56, was put on trial after she said in February that if she had a son, she would not send him to the army to fight Kurdish rebels, whose 24-year campaign for self-rule in the southeast has claimed about 44,000 lives.

The court ruled that the alleged offence had not been committed and the defendant had exercised her right to freedom of expression, Anatolia said.

Ersoy, who was not present at the hearing, risked a prison term of up to 30 months.

The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, has often criticised the country for restricting free speech under provisions that criminalise remarks deemed as insulting to the state and its institutions.

One of Turkey's most popular singers, Ersoy enjoyed fame as a stage performer and movie star before and after her sex-change operation in 1981.

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