WASHINGTON (AA) - US State Department's spokesman Patrick Ventrell said they were a strong supporter of freedom of expression, however, they also deplored speech that deliberately denigrated people of any religion.

Commenting on imprisonment sentence about internationally known Turkish pianist Fazil Say, Ventrell said, "we've been a hundred percent clear about our concerns about freedom of expression in Turkey. We're concerned by any attempt to punish individuals for practicing their right to free speech, which of course is an internationally recognized right. So we do not believe such laws are consistent with core human rights practices. And while we do condemn hateful speech, we deplore speech that deliberately denigrates people of any religion."

"At the same time, we're strong supporters of the right of freedom of expression. So we believe that Turkey's long-term stability, security and prosperity is best guaranteed by upholding the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association that are crucial to the health of any democracy," he added.

Recently, an Istanbul court sentenced pianist Fazil Say 10 month in prison for blasphemy. The sentence was suspended. 

The court handed down the sentence after finding Say guilty of "insulting religious values of a part of the population" in a series of tweets that critics said offended Muslims.