Monument for Freedom of Expression Unveiled in Istanbul

While the world is celebrating “World Press Freedom Day,” a freedom of expression monument was unveiled on Monday in Istanbul in Turkey, a country that currently has 68 journalists behind bars.

Two days before the eve of World Press Freedom Day, a Freedom of Expression Monument was unveiled at Maçka Democracy Park in Istanbul’s Nişantaşı district to demand press freedom for journalists sent to jail “because of touching on the taboos of the government or a certain part of society.”

The idea of building a Freedom of Expression Monument is to advocate press freedom in Turkish journalism and make a transformation in the government’s attitude belonged to the columnist Oktay Ekşi, who received a lot of support from the Freedom for Journalists Platform, or GÖP, and Şişli Municipality. The head of the executive board of daily Hürriyet, Vuslat Doğan Sabancı also showed her support by making an appearance during the press meeting.

“There is no press freedom in Turkey and this is a result of the government’s policy. It is the political power that determines the boundaries of press freedom,” said Ercan İpekçi the chairman of Turkey’s Journalism Union, or TGS.

The mayor of Şişli Municipality Mustafa Sarıgül said this meeting should be first accepted as a presentation of the Freedom of Expression Monument as they will have the opening ceremony with journalists on a later date. “Today this platform is not free. Whenever the journalist Nedim Şener will be released, we will reshape here. Hyde Park in England is a significant example for freedom of expression. Why not have the same in Turkey? ” asked Sarıgül.

“But, I also wonder whether the people speaking here will be able to turn their homes freely. People have the right of making criticism as the way they wish. Only our flag and our land cannot be articulated. Except from that people have the freedom of speech,” Sarıgül said.

Because of the journalist arrested unfairly, a defense mechanism has been formed to advocate our freedom, said Oktay Ekşi, saying that journalists have engaged into such an intense occupational collaboration for the first time.

“We wanted a structure in which we can defense our freedoms. Some 93 organizations created this Freedom for Journalists Platform. The construction of such a monument shows that we stand by everybody freely. As May 3 is known as the World Press Freedom Day, we will hold a congress tomorrow to call our voice. Our colleagues should not be people visited in jail,” said Ekşi.

The chairman of Association of Turkish Journalists in Europe, or ATGB, Güray Öz said that the number of investigations opened against journalists is high and the judicial is not free in Turkey. “A judicial atmosphere in which the journalists can perform their jobs comfortably should be created. We should let people express their thoughts in this Monument, this way we can understand what we will come across in the future,” he said.

Concerning the number of journalist taken to jail, the number is misleading said Ercan İpekçi witnessing his friends trial in Bakırköy 2nd Regional Court where there are more than 2500 cases on its own.

“The Ministry of Justice should fix the numbers. According to our predictions, there are more than 4,000 investigations on journalists and cases more than 1,000. Besides, 68 journalists blamed with making the propaganda of a terror organization are inside jail. Such a human right’s violation belongs to the people ruling this country,” he said.

May 2, 2011
SOURCE: Hürriyet Daily News