FREE ZARAKOLU AND HIS COMRADES-IN-LETTERS AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS IN TURKEY!
Last week, on 23 November 2011, a meeting was held at the Parliamentary offices of the British Houses of Parliament to bring attention to recent arrest in Turkey of Ragip Zarakolu. It was sponsored by Michael Connarty M.P. and featured presentations and contributions by Professor Khatchatur Pilikian, human rights lawyer Margaret Owen, Estella Schmid, Aysegul Meleti and Can Samet Atas. Concerning the nature of the targeting and detention of Ragip Zarakolu (director of Belge Publishing House and Chair of the Publishers Association’s Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey), Professor Khatchatur Pilikian, in a moving and powerful speech, noted that:
“It is obvious, and sadly so, that the Turkish government relentlessly continues its undeclared war, yet again, against its own citizens, but failing, nevertheless, to “put out the people’s eyes”, particularly in this case, the Kurdish people’s eyes, or, for that matter, the Turkish people’s eyes too, as I tend to believe, having met personally the humanist and courageous Turkish intellectual, Ragip Zarakolu, here in London, sharing with him a platform at the House of Commons in memory of Hrant Dink, Zarakolu’s comrade-in-letters, assassinated by a fascist thug in 2007 …
What is happening now in the 21st century is that an outspoken admirer of the poet [Nazim] Hikmet is raising his voice in support of the national minorities of his homeland, Turkey. Furthermore, Ragip Zarakolu is denouncing, among others, the fascistic styled article 301 … Hikmet tells us about the nature of his odyssey:
I went to the Forum
I convinced people anew
Do not kill your brothers
Do not be killed by your brothers
Down with the war
I believe Zarakolu and all his comrades-in-letters and all the human rights campaigners just recently imprisoned in Turkey have all gone to that same Forum for that same reason. Their odyssey now continues in prison. Let us rage against this injustice and demand freedom for the Turkish people’s valiant humanist intellectual, Ragip Zarakolu, and for all his comrades-in-letters and all the campaigners for human rights who are the victims of the notorious Article 301. The latter’s place ought to be surely not in the Turkish Penal Code but in the dustbin of history.”
A message of support was also sent by Dr Tessa Hoffmann. She said: “Among the six confiscated books that serve as ‘evidence’ against Ragip Zarakolu are three on the Armenian Genocide, including two manuscripts. One is the Turkish edition of my book ‘Persecution, expulsion and annihilation of the Christians in the Ottoman Empire 1912-1922’ that has been translated by Suzan Zengin in jail, despite her very bad health condition. When she was eventually released, she fell into coma during a heart operation and died two weeks later at the age of 52 years, without having regained consciousness”.
A message of support was also sent by author George Jerjian (see the full text below). Amongst other things, he noted that:
“In Turkey, today, thousands languish in prisons for political reasons. By arresting and jailing writers, journalists, and publishers, which it does on a regular basis, the Turkish government continually silences freedom of the press and crushes dissent by making it economically and personally costly … Ten years ago, I wrote a book entitled The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled, which Zarakolu’s publishing house published in Turkish. He spent the following three years hounded in Istanbul’s courts defending himself against the accusation of insulting “Turkishness” - Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code – because the Armenian genocide was mentioned … It is because of men such as Ragip Zarakolu that there have been conferences on the Armenian genocide in Turkey and some debate on Turkish television. But there is a long way to go yet … I encourage and urge you to contribute to defend this man’s freedom.”
Margaret Owen, Estella Schmidt, Aysegul Meleti and Can Samet Atas also spoke at the meeting of arrests of many lawyers even as President Gul was dining with the Queen. As raids and operations continued in 16 cities in Turkey, lawyer Eren Keskin clarified that: “This operation is the evidence of the madness of the state’s mind. We went through hard times in the 1990’s but the current events are the most incredible repression all sections of the society have experienced so far. Everybody is restless and waiting to be arrested. Everybody has the bag ready. There is no legal ground for this operation against lawyers. This is an attack targeting the public”.
Earlier (on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning), to support Ragip, the first demonstrations outside Buckingham Palace for many years were held, as well as a vigil opposite Downing St. in the afternoon. Leaflets were handed to parliamentarians asking them to sign Early Day Motion 2414 (http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2414) calling on the Turkish State to release Ragip and other detained political hostages. We call for your solidarity in this struggle for justice against oppression, war crimes, genocide and Turkish state terror.
For further information, contact Eilian Williams: 07588256783 or eilian@talktalk.net
IN DEFENCE OF RAGIP ZARAKOLU – George Jerjian
Friday 28th October 2011 was a sad day for Turkey and for its citizens – be they Turks, Kurds, or Armenians. Ragip Zarakolu, director of Belge Publishing House, a member of Turkish PEN and chair of Turkey's Freedom to Publish Committee, was one of more than 40 activists who were arrested in Istanbul and is currently detained in a terrible F-Type (high security) prison awaiting a trial that may well take over a year and may deteriorate his already frail health. He is not alone. In Turkey, today, thousands languish in prisons for political reasons. By arresting and jailing writers, journalists, and publishers, which it does on a regular basis, the Turkish government continually silences freedom of the press and crushes dissent by making it economically and personally costly.
Ten years ago, I wrote a book entitled The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled, which Zarakolu’s publishing house published in Turkish. He spent the following three years hounded in Istanbul’s courts defending himself against the accusation of insulting “Turkishness” - Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code – because the Armenian genocide was mentioned. Over the past ten years, despite the fact that 30,000 Turks applied their signatures online to apologise to the Armenians, the vast majority of the 70 million Turks remain in darkness about their historical legacy. Zarakolu has been a candle of light for the Turks, yet like all prophets, he is not recognised in his own land.
So what has been achieved over the past 10 years? It is because of men such as Ragip Zarakolu that there have been conferences on the Armenian genocide in Turkey and some debate on Turkish television. But there is a long way to go yet, as evidenced by the Turkish-Armenian Protocols, signed by Turkey and Armenia under pressure from the big powers, but it was suspended by Armenia because Turkey introduced preconditions after the accord was signed. After 10 long and hard years, it’s been two steps forward and one step back.
Barbara Goldsmith, a writer and historian, said that "if Zarakolu is not given his freedom, then all of us give up our freedom to write. If Zarakolu is not free, then none of us are free." I encourage and urge you to contribute to defend this man’s freedom.
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