01/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - A European Parliament delegation headed by Dutch EPP-ED MEP Camiel Eurlings (rapporteur on Turkey) will travel to Istanbul on 15 December to monitor the trial on 16 December of Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, taken to court for remarks he had made about the killing of Armenians and Kurds in Turkey under the Ottoman Empire. The delegation wants to verify the trial complies with EU human rights legislation, with Eurlings explaining in a press release: 'Freedom of expression is one of the fundamental rights Turkey has to respect. This is essential for Turkey's accession to the EU. The cases as filed against Orhan Pamuk, Hrant Dink and Burak Pekdil or against the publishes Fatih Tas and Ragip Zarakolu are not in line with the European Convention on Human Rights and could have a negative effect on Turkey's accession process.'