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Pro-Kurdish Daily closed under Turkish
"Terror Law"
8.8.2006
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CGD Chair Abakay, IHD Istanbul
Chair Sener and DTP Deputy Chair Kaplan condemn 15
day closure of Ulkede Ozgur Gundem daily under
recent amendments made to Anti-Terror Law. Daily
executive warns they will take the issue to Europe
if persecution continues.
BIA (Istanbul) - A Turkish Court has for the
first time used relevant articles in the country's
newly amended Anti-Terror Law (TMY) to close down
the pro-Kurdish daily Ulkede Ozgur Gundem newspaper
on charges of "conducting continuous organizational
propaganda" in apparent reference of its coverage of
developments in the Southeast region and activities
of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The Istanbul 12th High Criminal Court decision based
on a request made by the Public Prosecutor's Office
was relayed to the newspaper on August 4,
effectively banning it from print for a stretch of
15 days as of August 5, Saturday. |
Photo: BIA News Center |
Contemporary Journalists Association (CGD) Chairman
Ahmet Abakay, Human Rights Association (IHD)
Istanbul Branch Chairwoman Hurriyet Sener and
Democratic Society Party (DTP) Deputy Chairman Hasip
Kaplan reacted to the decision as a spokesman for
the newspaper warned they were considering an
application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
if the persecution continued.
Firat: If illegality continues we will go to the
ECHR
The Court's decision cited article 6 of the
Anti-Terror Law allowing the banning of printing and
distribution of a publication as preventative
measure after concluding that where "the issue of
the newspaper subject to offence and the previous
issues that have been investigated are evaluated in
whole, it is established that the Ulkede Ozgur
Gundem continuously publishes content that is
propaganda of the terrorist organization".
It said that as a measure the printing and
distribution of the newspaper had been suspended for
15 days.
Holding a press conference at the IHD Istanbul
Branch on August 5, Gundem's news editor Nurettin
Firat noted that the court had based its closure
decision on an article of the Anti-Terror Law which
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer had himself taken to
the Constitutional Court.
Firat said that if the process of what he called
"illegality" against the newspaper continued, they
would file an application with the European Court of
Human Rights.
Saying that the TMY granted authority to prosecutors
to rapidly close down newspapers, Firat argued that
the penalty of suspending from print had not even
gone through a trial proves and that this in itself
was not legal.
He referred to a past court case at the ECHR against
Turkey which resulted in favour of the Vakit
newspaper and said they might do the same.
Sener and Sarisozen: The people will not learn what
is happening
IHD's Sener who also spoke at the press conference
stressed the newspaper's critical role in reporting
on and uncovering human rights violations and
counter-guerrilla murders in the Southeast region,
saying the decision would prevent the people from
being informed.
Veysi Sarisozen, a columnist of Gundem also argued
that the sole intention behind the decision was to
prevent the people from being informed of
developments in the Southeast region.
A number of institutions including the DTP,
Socialist Democracy Party (SDP), Education and
Science Workers Union (Egitim-Sen), Mesopotamia
Culture Center (MKM), Peace Mothers, Science
Education Esthetic Culture and Arts Research
Foundation (BEKSAV), Gokkusagi [Rainbow], Labourer
Womens Association (EKD), Socialist Youth
Association (SGD), Public Workers Unions
Confederation (KESK) and Association of Solidarity
With Prisoner Families (TUAD) supported the press
conference.
CGD: We need to work to correct the TMY
Saying that the decision did not come as a surprise,
CGD Chairman Ahmet Abakay argued that based on
preparations made with laws, Turkey had quite
recently entered a period of closing down newspapers
and arresting journalists.
"Those who passed this law [TMY] are at fault. The
government is responsible for this" Abakay said,
adding "Justice Minister Cemil Cicek was saying in
relation to this law that he hoped it would not be
enforced. Laws are made to be enforced". Abakay said
he hoped the President's own application to the
Constitutional Court would be a success.
According to the CGD executive, initiatives to amend
the TMY were particularly made against publications
such as Ulkede Ozgur Gundem and added, "it is not
enough to protest the TMY. We need to do everything
we can to get this law put into correct shape".
DTP: Freedom of opinion and organization at threat
Another reaction to the closure of Gundem newspaper
came from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party.
DTP Deputy Chairman Hasip Kaplan said the closure
was directed at "restricting the opposition press"
and defined the order as being in violation of the
Constitution and international conventions which
would effect the harmonization period with the
European Union. "It is a situation that eliminates
the freedom of opinion and freedom of organizing" he
said.
bianet org
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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