ISTANBUL - Journalist Bayram Balcı, who stated that Kurdish journalists continue to be targeted even though the governments have changed in Turkey and the free press does not give up on the truth despite all the pressures.

 

The Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) accepted the anniversary of the murder of Hasan Sabri as the “Day of Murdered Journalists”. Since 1996, journalists who were murdered are commemorated on April 6. Many journalists like Musa Anter, Metin Göktepe, Uğur Mumcu and Hrant Dink were murdered because they wrote the truth. Especially in the 1990s, Kurdish journalists were the target of repression. Many Kurdish journalists were killed or disappeared under custody.

 

Journalist Bayram Balcı, one of the reporters of Özgür Gündem, which has been publishing against oppression for many years, evaluated the pressures against journalists.

 

FREE PRESS STRUGGLE

 

Underlining that journalism has never been done as a public duty in Turkey, Balcı pointed out that after the 1990s, there was a change of concepts in the pressures and attacks against journalists in Turkey. Balcı said, “The reason for this was that Özgür Gündem newspaper started its publication in 1992. With the Özgür Gündem newspaper, the "struggle for the free press" began. Therefore, the all out attacks of the political powers against the free press began. Our newspaper started its publication less than a week before our friend Hafız Akdemir was murdered in Amed on June 8, 1992. After that, they started to slaughter our friends Ferhat Tepe, Kemal Kılıç, Hüseyin Deniz, Ahmet Şenol, Nazım Babaoğlu, Apê Musa and many others. I am a journalist who survived by chance at that time.” 

 

THEY FOLLOWED THE TRUTH

 

Stating that they are doing a historical duty despite the pressures, Balcı said, “I thought so if the state forces come upon us like this, we are doing a historical job and fulfilling a historical duty. We are trying to reveal the 'truths' that are wanted to be kept in the dark. We announce to the public the war crimes committed by the state forces in Kurdistan. We were aware that we were undertaking such a historic mission. Our work was a responsibility to humanity. We were trying to fulfill this responsibility at the cost of our lives. It's a matter of self-respect. I am sure that my friends who worked for Özgür Gündem newspaper at that time and put their lives on the line thought the same as me.”

 

'JITEM GUNMEN'

 

Stressing that they never backed down against the attacks of the state, Balcı said, “Our murdered friends created the tradition of a free press. Due to the news written by our friends who were murdered in the 90s, everyone knows that 3 thousand villages were burned by the soldiers. 17 thousand civilians were massacred in the streets by 'JITEM hitmen'. Thanks to our friends who were murdered at that time, we know how these civilians were murdered and why they were murdered.”

 

FREE PRESS PREVAILED DESPITE PRESSURES

 

Stating that decisions were taken by the National Security to eliminate the Kurdish press in 1994, Balcı said, “As a result of this decision, the offices of Özgür Ülke newspaper, which started as a continuation of Özgür Gündem, were bombed in Istanbul and Ankara. Our newspaper building was razed to the ground. Our friend Ersin Yıldız lost his life during the bombing. 23 of our journalist friends were injured. However, despite these  attacks, the free press continued to broadcast without a break even for a day. At that time, with the help of the friends of the Özgür Ülke newspaper and the revolutionary press workers, it came out with the headline 'This Fire Will Burn You Too' and has survived until today.

 

AGENCIES AND NEWSPAPERS ARE CLOSED

 

Balcı said that the pressures on the Kurdish press increased during the AKP rule, and said: “Many of our journalist friends were tortured. More than 20 of our journalist friends were imprisoned in the attacks carried out under the name of the KCK press operations. In 2016, 13 DİHA reporters were imprisoned. Newspapers and news agencies were closed by law- decrees. Their computers and cameras were confiscated.”

 

REVENGE ON JOURNALISTS

 

Pointing out that there are many ill prisoners in prisons, Balcı stated that the prisoners' right to access to health is denied and they are sentenced to death. Balcı said, “What crime did Ziya Ataman, who has also been imprisoned since 2016, commit other than making news? When we look at the case file, there is no evidence other than his articles. But despite all this, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Moreover, the judges handling the case of our friend Ziya have been arrested and are in prison. Ziya Ataman is one of these ill prisoners. His treatment is denied. Likewise, we have a friend, journalist Nedim Türfent, who was imprisoned in 2016. When we look at why Nedim was imprisoned, he reported the news about the special operations police torture construction workers. The state took revenge by capturing Nedim because of it."

 

Recalling that Kemal Kurkut was killed by the police in front of the world in 2017 at Diyarbakır Newroz, Balcı said, “The journalist who documented this, Abdurrahman Gök, is on trial today. But when we look back, from the 90s to the present, there has not been intense pressure to silence the free press. Despite this, the traditionalists of the free press continued on their way, both rejuvenating and improving themselves.”

 

IN THE PATH OF THE PRESS MARTYRS

 

Stating that they continue to write the truth in order to be worthy to the martyrs of the free press who gave their lives and created the free press tradition, Balcı said, "No government will be able to destroy the free press tradition. Journalists, who are in the tradition of free press, will continue on their way by both improving and rejuvenating themselves.”

 

'KURDISH PRESS NEVER STEPPED BACK'

 

Pointing out that the journalists who were murdered on April 6 are commemorated, but their perpetrators have not been prosecuted, Balcı said, “The policy of impunity continues today. To date, the murderers of any Kurdish journalists has not been brought to justice or punished. Despite this, the Kurdish free press struggle has survived to the present day without making any concessions. And it never stepped back.”