A Turkish court is to hear the case against writer Atilla Yayla, charged with insulting the memory of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. He is accused of flouting one of several laws that limits freedom of expression for intellectuals in Turkey.

Professor Yayla was charged with “insulting Ataturk” - the revered founder of modern Turkey - after appearing on a panel discussion in which he suggested the early Turkish Republic was not as progressive as it’s painted. The prosecutor in the case is asking for a five-year prison sentence.

The professor, who has been vilified by the Turkish press and suspended from work at an Ankara university, denies the charge of insult and argues that academics must be guaranteed freedom of expression in order to pursue their research.

This hearing comes as the Turkish parliament prepares to debate amending the notorious Article 301 which criminalises “insulting Turkishness” and which has been used to prosecute dozens of writers and intellectuals, including Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink. The law that criminalises “insulting Ataturk”, however, is not up for discussion.

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