The BBC reports that a journalist in Turkey - the editor of a bilingual Armenian-Turkish newspaper, Agos - has been found guilty of insulting Turkish identity and given a suspended six-month jail sentence by a court in Istanbul.

Hrant Dink, of Armenian-Turkish descent, wrote a newspaper column which he argued was aimed at improving relations between Turkey and Armenia.

The prosecution interpreted one part as an insult, but Mr Dink has said he will appeal against the ruling.

The verdict follows changes to the criminal code which, ironically, were intended to improve freedom of speech in Turkey in pursuit of the country’s aim of joining the EU.

The article in question addressed the killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during Ottoman rule in 1917 which the Armenians - supported by several countries - want Turkey to recognise as genocide.

Mr Dink’s lawyer Fethiye Cetin said the ruling showed how little had changed under Turkey’s new criminal code, despite international and internal pressure.

“There was no crime here,” she told the BBC. “We expected our client to get off.”

Our correspondent says human rights lawyers believe his case shows there are still no-go areas for discussion here and the new laws leave substantial room for interpretation.

Mr Dink says he will appeal against the ruling. But if he cannot clear his name, he will leave the country.

“If I’m guilty of insulting a nation,” he told the BBC, “then it’s a matter of honour not to live here.”

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