Intellectuals condemning the anti-terror law
www.atilim.org - 25.10.2006 18:00
Intellectuals condemning the anti-terror law
ENGLISH (07.10.2006)- The poisoned arrows aiming at our newspaper Atilim failed as they hit solidarity shields. Intellectuals, artists and the socialist press strengthen the ‘voice of freedom’ against the censorship and the policy of repression. Just like the intellectuals are saying, now it’s the time to clasp to our newspaper Atilim. It’s been a month by now since the aggression of the anti-terror law (TMY) started attacking the revolutionary socialists. However, the anti-social law which aimed at suppressing the people by implementing the operation “gaye” could not break the will of our newspaper and the other revolutionary institutions.
After Dr. Haluk Gerger who was the first supporter among all intellectuals and authors, Ragip Zarakolu, who is the central representative of International PEN Turkey, worked a whole day at our office. Immediately afterwards the following individuals showed their solidarity with us: İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu, chief editor of the newspaper “Birgün”; Celalettin Can, chairman of the Initiative of the 78s; correspondents of the magazine “Emekci Hareket”; the owner of the newspaper “Ege’nin Sesi” and Sinan Kara, president of the Izmir branch of the Human Rights Association IHD. Abdurrahman Dilipak, chairman of the association Özgür-Der, wrote about the repression in a column of the newspaper “Vakit”.
Authors and intellectuals, who are pronounced as “potential culprits of thought” regulated by the anti-terror law and art. 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, did not hesitate to act together with Atilim against the self-censorship implemented by the state. If we work on the energy and braveness performed at the solidarity actions, then a united resistance against fascism, which is the centre of the mentality to forbid everything, could be created.
The “Symposium for freedom of the press” which we organize on October 8 will be the first step in that direction. Another support which our newspaper saluted heartily was as moderate as meaningful.
The workers from different work branches in Ümraniye, a borough of İstanbul, promised to cover the expenditure for our newspaper for a whole week to express their solidarity with us.
Now all attention is on the “Symposium for the freedom of the press” organised on October 8.
At the same time the symposium will celebrate the foundation year of Atilim and many journalists and authors will join the event.
For freedom of the press, no to the anti-terror law!
The staff of our newspaper and the radio channel “Özgür Radyo” organised a press release concerning the repression and arrests on September 28 at the Journalists Association of Turkey. Yıldırım Boran, vice president of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey; Ragıp Zarakolu, representative of International PEN Turkey; İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu, editor of the newspaper
Birgün and Bülent Falakaoğlu, news editor of the newspaper Evrensel, joined the meeting. Filiz Aslan, chairwoman of the radio channel “Özgür Radyo” was the first speaker. She considered the raids of the radio channel and the arrest of two colleagues on September 21 as following: “All that shows such a desperate situation in which there was justification created from a situation with no justification. That is against the law.”
In addition she explained that the radio channel Özgür Radyo founded in 1995 has been given a punishment of closing down for altogether 3 years and 10 months.
The press release in the name of Atilim was read by Önder Öner, who was arrested, too, during the arrests on September 21. Öner said: “Our newspaper following its principle of being “objective in reporting, revolutionary in analyzing” is continuing with its work without any compromises. The blockade with which they had wanted to surround and stop us is failing due to technical and reporting support by our friends.” He also thanked all the democratic organisations, newspapers, journalists, authors and artists who have answered our appeal for solidarity.
After him, Ragip Zarakolu held a speech in which he expressed the support in the name of the Turkish Union of Broadcasting. Zarakolu said: “With the anti-terror law, it is aimed at implementing the self-censorship on the socialist press and oppositional publications. However, we have a tradition of a strong press. The socialist press has been continuing for years against this kind of oppression.”
Necati Abay, the spokesman of the “Platform of Solidarity with the Arrested Journalists” said: “15 journalists were arrested within 15 days. This situation does not coincide with any other law than the coup and military junta’s law ”
At the press release Bülent Falakaoğlu and İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu spoke as well and stressed the importance of “the united struggle of all oppositional groups” against the logic of the anti-terror law.
The musician Beyhan Aksoy and Kurdish singer Şevin also held some speeches.
On the evening of October 2, senior and known journalists such as Ertuğrul Mavioğlu and İsmail Saymaz, the staff of the newspaper Radikal, Dünya, Halkın Sesi and Alınteri as well as the staff of the website sendika.org came to our office to visit us.
Other popular musicians also showed their support in line with the oppressed by visiting our office and sending solidarity messages. Among them were Ferhat Tunç and Metin Kahraman, who said “We must shackle ourselves to Atilim”.
İbrahim Çeşmecioğlu, editor of the newspaper Birgün, stressed the occupational importance of solidarity by doing an overtime shift at our office.
Journalist and author-yazar Sinan Kara, who is at the same time the owner of the newspaper “Ege’nin Sesi”, worked at our office in Izmir in September 28 to show his solidarity with us.
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