BÄ°A, Turkey
Nov 27 2008

Daily YeniçaÄ? Attacks Journalist For An Award

Daily YeniçaÄ? attacks distinguished journalist
DoÄ?an Ã-zgüden for receiving an award for his
fiftieth year in the profession and the Turkish Journalist Association
for giving it.

Bia news center – Ä°stanbul
26-11-2008

Daily YeniçaÄ? attacked the Turkish Journalists
Association (TGC) for giving an award journalist DoÄ?an
Ã-zgüden for his fiftieth year in the profession.

The newspaper described giving an award to Ã-zgüden against
whom there is a lawsuit for `denigrating the military’ an `award
scandal’.

Targeting both TGC and Ã-zgüden
The newspaper used the expressions `There are more than 50 lawsuits
against him, he is running away from the law for 37 years’ and `An
Armenian defender’ for Ã-zgüden, who had to leave Turkey in
1971 and never returned again.

The reporter of the newspaper who published the interviews he had with
TGC’s Secretary General Celal Toprak and representative of the
administrative matters Cem Ã?apanoÄ?lu responded to
Toprak’s statement that they stood by people who have freedom of press
lawsuits against them with the statement that `but he is unable to
come to Turkey’.

The newspaper said in the `report’ signed by Selda Ã-ztürk
Kay that the award led to comments that being against Turkey found
support not only in the European Union (EU), but was also backed by
the `distinguished’ institutions and organization in Turkey.

Zarakolu: They have become inquisition judges Journalist Ragıp
Zarakolu wrote an article condemning the attack by daily
YeniçaÄ? against the journalist and the TGC.

Titled `Enough!’, the article criticizes the newspaper for choosing
one of the distinguished journalists of Turkey for his attack, acting
like an inquisition judge and having the nerve to try to put pressure
on the Turkish Journalists Association.

Zarakolu also criticized the reporter for not getting her facts
right. He said the warrant of apprehension regarding
Ã-zgüden was given since his statement about his article
protesting the hanging of Deniz GezmiÅ? and his friends, the
left wing revolutionaries, could not be taken.

Although Zarakolu confirmed that there was such a decision, he also
added that this decision has existed up until today as Turkey’s
failure, as Turkey’s shame.

`It is crime to criticize the generals of the junta, the generals who
committed crimes against humanity. This has become a crime in my
country. You do not let anyone talk about 1915, 1938, 1971, 1980! No
more! Everything will be talked In This Country!’

Following the five-year long prosecution against Mehmet Emin Sert,
Emin Karaca and Ã-zgüden about an article criticizing the
hangings mentioned above, the 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance of
Istanbul had sentenced Karaca, acquitted Sert, and issued a warrant of
apprehension against Ã-zgüden for not being able to take his
statement. (EÃ-/TB)