To Çağlayan, shoulder to shoulder

The Journalists on the Outside Initiative convened in Kadıköy’s Mehmet Ayvalıtaş Square to call for the release of the detained journalists prior to our newspaper’s trial on Tuesday. The journalists, who marched to the Bull Statue at Altıyol, were supported by political party representatives and press professional organisations. The group, holding hands to draw attention to the importance of solidarity, opened a banner reading, “Freedom for journalists.” The journalists called on everyone to attend the Cumhuriyet and Özgür Gündem trials to be heard on 31 October. In attendance at the event were CHP Istanbul MPs Ali Şeker, Barış Yarkadaş and Onursal Adıgüzel, HDP Deputy Group Chair Filiz Kerestecioğlu, our paper’s columnist Meriç Velideoğlu, CHP Kadıköy Sub-Province Chair Ali Narin, our paper’s lawyer Bülent Utku, People’s Houses Deputy General Chair Nuri Günay, EMEP Central Administrative Committee Member Abullah Levent Tüzel and theatre actress Gülriz Sururi. On the march, there was constant chanting of the slogans, “Don’t be silent, shout – there’s a free press,” “Justice right now,” “Ahmet will get out and write again,” “Havva will get out and write again,” “Freedom right now,” “Gökmen will get out and write again,” and “İnan will get out and write again.” Following the march of about half an hour, the group, having reached the Bull Statue Square, made a press statement here.

It is good that we are side by side

Gülşah Karadağ, speaking on behalf of Journalists on the Outside, stated that they had congregated yet again for freedom and justice. Karadağ said, “We marched hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. We remembered out loud our journalist colleagues who have been imprisoned for tearing the shroud that has been spread over the truth, and once more our breasts swelled up and we felt pride at their existence. It is good that we are here and it is good that we are side by side.” Karadağ, stressing that nobody could be free in a place where journalists are detained, stressed that the basic reason journalists were being detained was to enable the tie-wearing mice infesting the nation’s larder to gnaw away in comfort and to prevent the mask from slipping from the pillagers’ faces.

Hugs at the end

Karadağ, drawing attention to the Cumhuriyet and Özgür Gündem trials, made a call for solidarity saying, “Just as we came here hand in hand, we can similarly go to Çağlayan Judicial Complex and scream at the top of our voices our demand for the return to freedom of İnan Kızılıkaya, Kemal Sancılı, Ahmet Şık, Akın Atalay, Murat Sabuncu and Emre İper, who are forced to wake up each morning in the Silivri dungeon, and the dozens of detained journalists.” Following the press statement, the journalists and politicians brought the event to an end by hugging one another.

Journalists’ solidarity: Wallraff will observe the Cumhuriyet trial

German journalist Günter Wallraff has announced that he will come to Turkey to draw attention to the plight of the jailed journalists. Wallraff, who is expected to come to Istanbul today, will also observe our paper’s trial to be heard on 31 October. According to a report by Deutsche Welle, Wallraff made a statement yesterday to the German News Agency in Cologne. Wallraff, drawing attention in particular to the plight of Die Welt newspaper’s Turkey reporter Deniz Yücel, noted that there was huge solidarity with Yücel in Germany, but he had not observed this in Turkey. He stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan subjected Yücel to monitoring under “intense pressure” and had engaged in vilification even before Yücel had been prosecuted with his use of the words “spy and terrorist”. Wallraff said that he wished to speak to Deniz Yücel’s wife as well as his lawyer. Wallraff stated that he would also observe the hearing of the Cumhuriyet trial slated for 31 October and would meet with the human rights defenders in Istanbul. Wallraff came to Turkey at the beginning of October in a display of solidarity with the detained journalists.