CPS loses High Court bid to overturn Quran-burner's acquittal

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has failed in its High Court attempt to overturn the acquittal of Hamit Coskun, who burned a Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London. Coskun had been initially found guilty last June of a religiously aggravated public order offence after he held a burning copy of the Islamic text and shouted an expletive about Islam during a protest in February of the previous year. However, that conviction was later challenged by the CPS, which sought a reconsideration of the verdict.

The High Court issued its judgment on Friday, with Lord Justice Warby and Ms Justice Obi dismissing the CPS’s appeal. They stated, “We are not persuaded that the court left any material factor out of account or relied on any immaterial factor.” The Free Speech Union hailed this decision as a “humiliating defeat” for the CPS and called for the resignation of the Director of Public Prosecutions. According to CPS lawyers, the original ruling by Mr Justice Bennathan, which held that Coskun’s conduct was not disorderly and unlikely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress, was incorrect.

During the protest in Knightsbridge, Coskun, an atheist, declared phrases such as “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Quran is burning.” Shortly afterward, a man emerged with a large knife and attacked him, later telling police that he was acting to defend his religion. Coskun has since been placed in Home Office accommodation due to threats against him following the incident. Speaking after the High Court ruling, Coskun expressed relief, saying, “In England, I hoped that I would be free to speak about the damage of sectarian politics and Islamism. I am relieved that after a year, the courts have ruled that I am free to do so.”

Stephen Evans, chief executive of the National Secular Society, praised the High Court’s decision, emphasizing that it rejected an attempt to effectively reinstate blasphemy laws by other means. He stated, “This judgment makes clear that it is not the state’s job to police religious sensibilities. A hostile – even violent – reaction to speech cannot be allowed to determine whether that speech is criminal.” Evans called for an inquiry into why the CPS initially pursued the charges against Coskun, highlighting the need for transparency to maintain public trust.

Echoing the criticism, Lord Young of Acton, general secretary of the Free Speech Union, condemned the CPS for pursuing a case that should never have been brought. He commented, “We have not had blasphemy laws in this country for 18 years and, for that reason, this prosecution was bound to fail. Yet the CPS has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to bring one back via the back door – and one that just enforces Muslim blasphemy codes, not Christian ones.” Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy also weighed in, underscoring the importance of free speech, including the right to offend, by stating that he had urged the CPS leadership to reconsider the legal framing of the case. A CPS spokesperson stressed that burning a religious text itself is not criminal, but asserted their stance that Coskun’s actions combined with his words and location demonstrated disorderly behaviour and hostility. The CPS confirmed it would carefully review the High Court’s ruling

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More