Novelist Orhan Pamuk, who is facing charges for having the temerity to talk about the Armenian genocide,  will now only go to trial on one charge.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

The charge that he had insulted Turkey's armed forces was dropped, but he still faces the charge that he insulted "Turkishness", lawyers said.

His trial was halted on its first day, when an Istanbul judge said the case needed the justice ministry's approval.

The case was brought after Mr Pamuk referred to the deaths of a million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds in Turkey.

The European Union has criticised the case and called on Turkey - which has just started negotiations over EU membership - to do more to protect freedom of expression.

Legal wrangling

The trial was halted on 16 December and adjourned until 7 February.

The justice ministry's permission is being sought because of a dispute over whether Mr Pamuk is to be tried under Turkey's old penal code or a recent, revised version.

Mr Pamuk's lawyers have argued that he must be tried under the old code, requiring the justice minister to give a ruling.

The case stems from a magazine interview earlier this year in which Mr Pamuk said: "One million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands and nobody but me dares talk about it."

Turkey maintains the deaths of Armenians in conflicts accompanying the collapse of the Ottoman empire in the early 20th Century were not part of a genocidal campaign, arguing that many ethnic Turks were also killed in that period.

Under Article 301, it's illegal to criticize the republic, parliament or any state institution. A conviction could bring a three-year prison term.

While Pamuk is the highest-profile writer facing such a charge, the article said there are at least 60 other writers and publishers facing similar charges in Turkey.