VAN – Our reporter Cemil Uğur who broke the news about two villagers thrown out of the helicopter while under the custody of soldiers said: "It is journalism that has been arrrested. We wouldn't have done our job if we ignored it."

 

One of the four journalists arrested for breaking the news about two villagers thrown out of the helicopter while under the custody of soldiers was Cemil Uğur from Mesopotamia Agency (MA). Uğur wrote a letter from Van High Security Prison to Turkey Journalists' Union (TGS) and evaluated the process of their arrest.

 

'THEY DON'T WANT US TO TELL THE TRUTH'

 

Uğur's letter is as follows: 

 

"I was taken into custody on October 6. I was arrested on October 9 with 3 our colleagues. There were no concrete evidence but we were arrested anyway. We were not arrested as persons Cemil, Adnan, Şehriban and Nazan. It was journalism that has been arrested. They don't want us to tell the truth. They think they can stop us by arresting us.  

 

We know that the government is distrubed by the news about the helicopter but we couldn't ignore the hospital reports and the eyewitnesses. We wouldn't have done our jobs if we did. We tried to bring the truth to the people at all costs.

 

I want to draw attention to something. The prosecutor that demanded our arrest said: "As it is understood that the objects found during the search were stolen by the said persons" in the reason for the request for arrest sent to the court. The prosecutor who issued a warrant for our detention with the allegation of 'being a member of a terrorist organization' demanded our detention for an absent reason which indicates he was instructed by someone to detain us.

 

He approved this by deciding to arrest us at the court. We were basically arrested for 'theft'! But in reality no questions were asked about theft neither at the police headquarters not the prosecutor's office. It has not been seen in the history that law became so frivolous and absurd.

 

A COURT THAT SAYS 'YOU ARE NOT A JOURNALIST' TO A PERSON WHO IS A JOURNALIST FOR 20 YEARS

 

On the other hand, the court have gone so far to say that we are not journalists because we don't have the press cards given by the Presidency. The fact that I am a member of TGS and Mersin Journalists' Association proves that I am a journalist.

 

I laughed at the court that said Adnan Bilen, who is a journalist for 20 years, wasn't a journalist. I understand these are all crazy decisions. Because there is no crime but there is an instruction. They did their best to follow that instruction but they messed it up. What happened here is something to be condemned in the history of Turkey.

 

Think about it. They tapped my phone and listened to me for months. They recorded one phonecall and that is an interview. They wanted to prosecute journalism here. We have told that we are the voice of the truth and we defend the right to recieve news in all platforms and we'll continue to do so. We will continue to uphold the dignity and honour of journalism they want to trample.

 

We know that you are always with us. Thank you for your solidarity."