Jailed journalists' call to all press organizations
Jailed journalists' call to all press organizations
Journalists who were arrested following organized operations on 20 December 2011 have written a letter addressing all national and international press organizations. The operations against journalists on 20 December targeted Fýrat News Agency (ANF), Dicle News Agency DÝHA), Etik Agency, Özgür Gündem, Azadiya Welat papers and Demokratik Modernite Magazine and Gül Printing House.
We publish the letter sent out by the media workers in different prisons;
“Dear colleagues, we are writing this letter on behalf of 35 journalists who were detained within the scope of so-called KCK operations. Our letter and call is no doubt in the name of over 100 journalists who are currently held in prison in Turkey. As you may be following closely, anyone in journalism profession in our country lives under the threat of “terror” definition. We and our colleagues are charged with “terrorism”, “supporting terror” or “spreading terrorist propaganda” with all kinds of acts that we perform as a part of our job. We are therefore subjected to penal sanctions. The news we follow, the photos we take, the sources of our news and the articles we write are all evaluated within this framework and considered as elements of crime. Above all, if you have an opponent stance and as a matter of course perform critical journalism, you are inevitably defined within the definition of potential “terrorist journalist”.
48 journalists were taken into custody on 20 December 2011 all around the country because of this perception and approach. Among them, 35 were in the same day arrested on charges of “conducting activities on behalf of KCK press committee”. The accusation was terrorism but the justification was grounded on all kinds of news materials which consisted of photos taken for news, occupational conversations and abroad travels made to make news. Furthermore, this process is led so recklessly that our photograph machines, computers and all kinds of communication tools are seized as if criminal means. By means of all these actions, we are intended to be approved as “members of the organization”.
We consider it as depreciatory to defend ourselves against this accusation which is directed to us on the basis of our occupational activities. It is obvious that the accusation here is against journalistic activities and its occupational dignity, not against us. Those who put their signature under this unlawful, unfair and arbitrary implementation are therefore those who need to defend themselves first. We stand behind the occupational activities we perform and we don’t accord anyone the right to question this profession. This principled attitude of us is no doubt pertinent to the attitude of protecting this occupational dignity which we inherited from those who lost their lives fighting for the tradition of free press and after whom we pattern ourselves.
However, as you would appreciate, freedom of the press is the responsibility of not only ours but it is also the duty and responsibility of occupational organizations whom we in this respect call on to display an objective approach. We demand you to intervene in the “main case” regarding the freedom of press so that you can see what kind of a situation it is that we face. This is a call for the protection of professional principles and the tradition of free press. Above all, this is a call made for the prevention of the blockage of alternative news sources of the society.
Dear colleagues, it is your decision to make; either to adopt an attitude on the side of our profession or to turn a blind eye to the blows received by our profession which already suffers a great abuse.
Loves and greetings with a trust that you will develop an attitude for the future of your profession.
Jailed Workers of Free Press”
We publish the letter sent out by the media workers in different prisons;
“Dear colleagues, we are writing this letter on behalf of 35 journalists who were detained within the scope of so-called KCK operations. Our letter and call is no doubt in the name of over 100 journalists who are currently held in prison in Turkey. As you may be following closely, anyone in journalism profession in our country lives under the threat of “terror” definition. We and our colleagues are charged with “terrorism”, “supporting terror” or “spreading terrorist propaganda” with all kinds of acts that we perform as a part of our job. We are therefore subjected to penal sanctions. The news we follow, the photos we take, the sources of our news and the articles we write are all evaluated within this framework and considered as elements of crime. Above all, if you have an opponent stance and as a matter of course perform critical journalism, you are inevitably defined within the definition of potential “terrorist journalist”.
48 journalists were taken into custody on 20 December 2011 all around the country because of this perception and approach. Among them, 35 were in the same day arrested on charges of “conducting activities on behalf of KCK press committee”. The accusation was terrorism but the justification was grounded on all kinds of news materials which consisted of photos taken for news, occupational conversations and abroad travels made to make news. Furthermore, this process is led so recklessly that our photograph machines, computers and all kinds of communication tools are seized as if criminal means. By means of all these actions, we are intended to be approved as “members of the organization”.
We consider it as depreciatory to defend ourselves against this accusation which is directed to us on the basis of our occupational activities. It is obvious that the accusation here is against journalistic activities and its occupational dignity, not against us. Those who put their signature under this unlawful, unfair and arbitrary implementation are therefore those who need to defend themselves first. We stand behind the occupational activities we perform and we don’t accord anyone the right to question this profession. This principled attitude of us is no doubt pertinent to the attitude of protecting this occupational dignity which we inherited from those who lost their lives fighting for the tradition of free press and after whom we pattern ourselves.
However, as you would appreciate, freedom of the press is the responsibility of not only ours but it is also the duty and responsibility of occupational organizations whom we in this respect call on to display an objective approach. We demand you to intervene in the “main case” regarding the freedom of press so that you can see what kind of a situation it is that we face. This is a call for the protection of professional principles and the tradition of free press. Above all, this is a call made for the prevention of the blockage of alternative news sources of the society.
Dear colleagues, it is your decision to make; either to adopt an attitude on the side of our profession or to turn a blind eye to the blows received by our profession which already suffers a great abuse.
Loves and greetings with a trust that you will develop an attitude for the future of your profession.
Jailed Workers of Free Press”
