BÝA, Turkey
Last Modified 21-09-2007 13.27

Türüt’s "Fans" Threaten Journalist
Türüt and Sirin’s lawyer warned: "Know your limits".
Body guards threatened a journalist.

Býa news centre

21-09-2007

Erol Önderoglu

Singer Ismail Türüt and composer Arif Sirin( also
known as Ozan Arif) arrived at the Sultanahmet Law
Court yesterday (19 September) in order to make
statements to Press Prosecutor Nurten Altinok.

An investigation has been started into the song "Plan,
Don’t make a plan", composed by Sirin and sung by
Türüt. It is said to include references to and praise
of the suspected murderers of journalist Hrant Dink.
In addition, the song was put on the Internet website
YouTube with a video clip about the murder.

Journalist threatened

Türüt and Sirin arrived in a Hammer jeep and a
20-strong body guard. When they left the building
again, Radikal reporter Serkan Ocak asked, "Are these
people your body guard?" Ocak was pointed at and
threatened by a guard, who said, "Be careful!"

Türüt said, "Oh no, this is not a body guard. These
are my friends, my fans." He added, "Those who made
the [You Tube] clip are despicable. I am suing."

Lawyer Yesilyurt threatens

Journalist Ali Bayramoglu, who had written about the
clip, has been threatened, and yesterday Türüt and
Sirin’s lawyer Ömer Yesilyurt chose the same tone in
front of the law court:

"The ink on Elif Safak’s novel has not dried. I call
on all columnists who are burying their heads in the
sand when people say "Armenians were murdered". We
will continue to say what we know. Everyone should
know their limits."

CHD has filed criminal complaint against Erdemir

The president of the Izmir Bar Association, Nevzat
Erdemir, had spoken of the song as "patriotic and
behaviour that needs to be congratulated".

The Modern Lawyers’ Association (CHD) has filed a
criminal complaint against Erdemir for "praising a
crime and criminals" (Article 215 of the Turkish Penal
Code) and "inciting the people to disobey laws"
(Article 217) and "attempting to influence an
impartial trial" (Article 288).

The CHD said, "During his three years as president of
the Bar Association Nevzat Erdemir has never made a
positive, modern or democratic statement in the name
of law or justice and never shown such a reflex. It is
shameful that he talks about the freedom of expression
for the first time when he wants to protect and
glorify those who legitimise and praise a murder."

"Not the first shameful act"

In their statement, the CHD also said, "This is not
the first shameful act of the Izmir Bar Association
and its president, who refused to openly condemn the
murders of Hrant Dink, of the priest Santoro and the
Malatya massacre."

The CHD accuses Erdemir of

"closing the Group for Prevention of Torture as soon
as he came to office and starting a slandering
campaign against his colleagues who had worked in that
group, together with [nationalist lawyer] Kerincsiz
arranging the protest to "dip the Patriarch in the
water", and allowing the administrator of the racist
"Turkic Socialist People’s Association" to join the
bar as an administrator,"

"organising the Talat Pasa march in Lausanne together
with Dogu Perincek and his group,"

"giving space to the racist texts of suspects in a
gang trial on the bar website,"

"protecting a lawyer who pointed a gun at colleagues
at a plenary assembly"

"ignoring the attitude of lawyer Fuat Turgur, who
insulted and threatened Rakel Dink, her family and
third-party lawyers at the first hearing of the Dink
trial." (EÖ/NZ)