September 13, 2006

The Platform for Solidarity with Arrested Journalists gave a press release where details of the government’s recent frontal attack on journalists opposing the government were revealed.

The press release:

We are facing the first enforcement of government’s Anti-Social Laws (commonly referred for the recent Anti-Terrorism Laws). The action to arrest 20 people opposing government including journalists shows us where we are headed.

It is unfortunate that we are seeing what we warned prior to the passage of the anti-terrorism laws.

This presents us with a new situation. This attack is a threat against all social opposition to government. They want to terrorize the political life. The attack, mostly against Atilim newspaper, is in reality an attack against all opposition, against all socialist, revolutionary, progressive press.

The main stream and bourgeois press have aided this execution without trial by giving coverege to only one sided and biased announcements of the government.

Those who oppose this government are being declared “terrorist” by the government. Yet, the attorneys tell us that those arrested have not even been told what they have been charged with. The journalists and arrested have refused to give testimonies to the police because they have not been charged with any crimes yet.

Many journalists in the past, like Zekeriya Sertel, Sabahattin Ali and Aziz Nesin had all been arrested not because they violated a law, but they were all imprisoned with trumped up charges when they were declared “terrorists” by the cops. All the government is doing today is adding more to these old practices of attacking the freedom of press and thought.

As the Platform for Solidarity with Arrested Journalists, we are calling on the Association of Journalists of Turkey, the Reporters without Frontiers (RSF) and International PEN to show more sensitivity to the issue. They should stop playing the role of the three monkeys.

You can not claim not to hear, not to see and not to know. You can not sit in silence in the face of such attacks against the freedom of the press.

We are also calling on all other opposition forces, people and institutions and democratic mass organizations, unions and associations who are concerned about human rights to raise their concerns and to support the arrested journalists.

End the oppression, arrests and imprisonments!
Freedom to the arrested journalists!

As of 13th of September, 2006, the list of arrested journalists and the prisons they are in:

1- Mr.İbrahim Çiçek, Atılım Newspaper General Press Director, Journalist-Author.
İstanbul / Bayrampaşa Prison

2- Mr. Sedat Şenoğlu, Atılım Newspaper General Press Coordinator, Journalist, Author.
İstanbul / Bayrampaşa Prison

3- Mr. Ziya Ulusoy, Atılım Newspaper writer and previous General Press Director.
İstanbul / Bayrampaşa Prison

4- Mr. Bayram Namaz, Atılım Newspaper writer İstanbul / Bayrampaşa prison.

5- Ms. Füsun Erdoğan, Free Radio General Broadcast Coordinator, journalist.
İstanbul / Paşakapı Prison.

6- Mr. Memik Horuz, Workers and Peasants Newspaper Press Director.
Bolu F Type Prison

7- Mr. Erol Zavar, Odak Magazine Owner and General President.
Sincan F Type Prison

8- Ms. Hatice Duman, Atılım Newspaper Owner and president.
Gebze Special Type Prison

9- Mr. Mustafa Gök, Bread and Justice Newspaper Ankara correspondent.
Sincan F Type Prison

10- Mr. Evrim Dengiz, DİHA News Agency Mersin Correspondent.
Mersin E Type Prison

11- Ms. Nesrin Yazar, DİHA News Agency Mersin Correspondent.
Mersin E Type Prison

12- Mr. Barış Açıkel, Workers and Peasants Newspaper, Owner and editor in chief.
Kandıra Number 1 F Type Prison

13- Mr. Rüştü Demirkaya, DİHA News Agency Tunceli Correspondent.
Tunceli Prison

M.B.