IFEX Action Alert Network
18 September 2007
From: IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), erhan@bianet.org
Activists Complain Against Racist Song
The prosecution has reacted to controversy over a song praising Hrant
Dink’s murder suspects and started an investigation. Human rights groups
are filing a suit additionally.
bia news centre – Ýstanbul
17 September 2007, Pazartesi Erol Önderoglu
The song "Plan, don’t make a plan", composed by Ozan Arif and sung by
Ismail Türüt gained notoriety when it was played on Youtube’s website,
accompanied by a clip.
Singer Türüt, speaking by telephone to several television channels, has
said that he stands behind the song, but does not approve of the clip. He
says that the song does not aim at praising the murder.
Investigation started Following a report from the Istanbul Police
Department, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has started an
investigation of Türüt and composer Ozan Arif.
According to NTV channel, the Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace has
decided to block access to the video images on the Youtube site.
Although the prosecution has acted, the Istanbul branch of the Human
Rights Association (IHD), the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism
Initiative and many other NGOs have decided to meet in front of the
Sultanahmet Law Court tomorrow (18 September) at 1 pm to read a press
statement.
Joint criminal complaint The IHD said, "We invite everyone to join
this criminal complaint activity in order to react against efforts to make
racism and murderers seem harmless." In addition, the IHD and the
Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER)
are going to collaborate in filing a criminal complaint in Ankara. They
are going to accuse Arif, Türüt and those preparing the clip of "praising
a crime and criminals".
Representatives of the associations are going to meet in front of the
Ankara Law Court at 11.30 am tomorrow (18 September).
Fethiye Cetin, one of the Dink family lawyers, told bianet, "In this
case the prosecutors, charged with guarding the public good, need to act
on their own account. This is not just the problem of the Dink family, it
is a problem for all of us. We will support anyone who wishes to act in
addition to the prosecution." Lyrics of the song The song’s lyrics
are as follows: Plan, do not make a plan, that does not suit the Black
Sea, Stabs in the back, lies and untruths do not succeed at the Black Sea,
Let neither Johnny (i.e. the Americans) nor the Russians lay traps, The
horn of separatism does not blow at the Black Sea, Stop ringing (church)
bells, stop being pro-Armenian, The people do not swallow such food at the
Black Sea, Let them say this on that day ("Ogün") and this today, The
Black Sea does not run out of Fatihas (Muslim prayer) and Yasins Put forth
your honour, glory and life, At the Black Sea no one sells their homeland,
If a person sells the homeland, business ends immediately, The sun of the
Turk and Islam does not set at the Black Sea, As long as we stand like
that, even if Bush is your uncle, Your jeer is not worth five cent.
We know you’re offended and hold a grudge, (But) you’re not strong enough
to cause a disturbance at the Black Sea.
It is assumed that the line "Let them say this on that day",where "that
day" can be read as a name, "Ogün", refers to murder suspect O.S., and the
line "The Black Sea does not run out of Yasins" to Yasin Hayal, who
stands accused of planning the murder.
"Souvenir" pictures with murder suspect The clip on Youtube also
includes images of O.S. as he was photographed standing under a Turkish
flag on the night of his arrest, on 20 January. It had emerged later that
police and gendarmerie officers took "souvenir" pictures of and with O.S..
Meanwhile, the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism Initiative have
organised a campaign entitled "Article 301 to be Abolished, Racists to be
Judged" and a panel entitled "Why does Article 301 need to be abolished?"
Article 301 needs to be abolished Referring to the Supreme Court of
Appeal’s decision to overturn academics Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran and Prof.
Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu’s acquittal, lawyer Turgut Tarhanli spoke out against
Article 301.
Tarhanli, the Dean of Bilgi University’s Law Faculty, said that the
article was "too abstruse for international standards" and that it needed
to be "abolished".
The campaign organisers have prepared a text to be presented to the
Turkish Parliament. The text can be signed by anyone wanting a change in
the articles of the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law which
restrict freedom of expression. (EÖ/NZ/AG) Anasayfa | Baþa Dönbaþa dön |
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