The Venice Commission has also expressed concerns with respect to the wide interpretation of articles of the Turkish Penal Code used to prosecute persons for their statements. In its Opinion on Articles 216, 299, 301 and 314 of the Penal Code of Turkey of March 2016, the Commission examined criminal law provisions relevant for freedom of expression and concluded that these articles “provide for excessive sanctions and that they had been applied too widely, penalising conduct protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, in particular its Article 10 and the related case-law as well as conduct protected under Article 19 ICCPR”.