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SHOW YOUR SOLIDARITY TO IMPRISONED TURKISH FREE THINKER
http://www.armenianlife.com/2011/11/13/show-your-solidarity-to-imprisoned-turkish-free-thinker/
- November 13, 2011
Prominent publisher, writer and activist Ragıp Zarakolu, who was
arrested nearly two weeks ago, is locked up in Kocaeli, a high-security
prison.
Zarakolu is being incarcerated at an F-type prison that hosts
"dangerous convicts and prisoners" in the northwestern province of
Kocaeli, alongside 17 other suspects who were also arrested.
Speak out against this gross violation of human rights in Turkey. More
importantly, show your solidarity with Mr. Zarakolu, and let the prison
officials and the Turkish Ministry of Justice know how much support
Mr. Zarakolu has worldwide. Readers should send as many letters
andcards as possible to him from all over the world. Here is his
address: Ragip Zarakolu, 2 No'lu Ceza Ä°nfaz Kurumu, Kocaeli, TURKEY.
The Turkish police used Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
so-called "KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) affair" as a cover
to arrestZarakolu, a well-known Turkish human rights activist and
director of Belge Publishing House, in Turkey.
An award-winning writer and publisher, Zarakolu is also chairman of
the Publishers' Association Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey.
His detention was preceded by the October 4 arrest of his son Deniz
Zarakolu, editor of Belge Publishing House.
Belge has published Turkish editions of books that are ground-breaking
in that country, including books documenting the 1915 Armenian Genocide
and "The KCK File/The Global State and Kurds Without a State" by
Mehmet Guler.
"It is essential not to confuse the efforts of those who, like Ragip
Zarakolu, have worked to bring down barriers of censorship in Turkey
with those who press political agendas through violence. ... Zarakolu
is an honored PEN colleague and internationally-recognized defender
of the right to write and publish freely. We emphatically protest
his arrest," PEN American Center "Freedom to Write" program director
Larry Siemssaid in a statement.
Zarakolu is outspoken on various human rights issues including the
oppression of national minorities in Turkey as well as the Armenian
Genocide.
Despite several imprisonments by succeeding military juntas in Turkey,
Zarakolu relentlessly championed for freedom of thought and expression,
emphasizing an attitude of respect for different thoughts and cultures
in Turkey.
The Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought
(http://gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com) has launched a signature
gathering campaign that I encourage readers to sign. The Initiative
protests recent massive unwarranted imprisonments. The campaign
is named "That's enough!" ("YETTİ ARTIK !"-- in Turkish) Click the
signature form ("Destek icin imza formu") at the above web-address
and submit it with the mention of name ("adi soyadi"), profession
("meslegi") and city/country ("sehir ve/veya ulke").
http://www.armenianlife.com/2011/11/13/show-your-solidarity-to-imprisoned-turkish-free-thinker/
- November 13, 2011
Prominent publisher, writer and activist Ragıp Zarakolu, who was
arrested nearly two weeks ago, is locked up in Kocaeli, a high-security
prison.
Zarakolu is being incarcerated at an F-type prison that hosts
"dangerous convicts and prisoners" in the northwestern province of
Kocaeli, alongside 17 other suspects who were also arrested.
Speak out against this gross violation of human rights in Turkey. More
importantly, show your solidarity with Mr. Zarakolu, and let the prison
officials and the Turkish Ministry of Justice know how much support
Mr. Zarakolu has worldwide. Readers should send as many letters
andcards as possible to him from all over the world. Here is his
address: Ragip Zarakolu, 2 No'lu Ceza Ä°nfaz Kurumu, Kocaeli, TURKEY.
The Turkish police used Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
so-called "KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) affair" as a cover
to arrestZarakolu, a well-known Turkish human rights activist and
director of Belge Publishing House, in Turkey.
An award-winning writer and publisher, Zarakolu is also chairman of
the Publishers' Association Freedom to Publish Committee of Turkey.
His detention was preceded by the October 4 arrest of his son Deniz
Zarakolu, editor of Belge Publishing House.
Belge has published Turkish editions of books that are ground-breaking
in that country, including books documenting the 1915 Armenian Genocide
and "The KCK File/The Global State and Kurds Without a State" by
Mehmet Guler.
"It is essential not to confuse the efforts of those who, like Ragip
Zarakolu, have worked to bring down barriers of censorship in Turkey
with those who press political agendas through violence. ... Zarakolu
is an honored PEN colleague and internationally-recognized defender
of the right to write and publish freely. We emphatically protest
his arrest," PEN American Center "Freedom to Write" program director
Larry Siemssaid in a statement.
Zarakolu is outspoken on various human rights issues including the
oppression of national minorities in Turkey as well as the Armenian
Genocide.
Despite several imprisonments by succeeding military juntas in Turkey,
Zarakolu relentlessly championed for freedom of thought and expression,
emphasizing an attitude of respect for different thoughts and cultures
in Turkey.
The Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought
(http://gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com) has launched a signature
gathering campaign that I encourage readers to sign. The Initiative
protests recent massive unwarranted imprisonments. The campaign
is named "That's enough!" ("YETTİ ARTIK !"-- in Turkish) Click the
signature form ("Destek icin imza formu") at the above web-address
and submit it with the mention of name ("adi soyadi"), profession
("meslegi") and city/country ("sehir ve/veya ulke").