Turkey
Suppresses Journalists

INTRO:   ALTHOUGH TURKEY IS A MEMBER OF NATO, A DEMOCRACY, 
AND A STAUNCH SUPPORTER OF THE UNITED STATES, IT IS 
APPARENTLY STIFLING A FREE PRESS ACCORDING TO A RECENT 
STUDY BY A NEW YORK-BASED ORGANIZATION THAT MONITORS 
THE WORLD PRESS.

THE REVELATION THAT DOZENS OF REPORTERS, WRITERS AND
EDITORS ARE BEING HELD IN JAIL ON VARIOUS CHARGES HAS
CAUSED AN OUTCRY IN THE UNITED STATES PRESS, AND WE GET
A SAMPLING NOW FROM __________________ IN TODAY'S U-S
OPINION  ROUNDUP.

TEXT:    THE CHARGES COME IN A REPORT FROM THE COMMITTEE TO
PROTECT JOURNALISTS, AN ORGANIZATION THAT MONITORS PRESS
FREEDOM AND THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH JOURNALISTS 
WORK, AROUND THE WORLD.

THE REPORT INCLUDED THE NAMES OF 78 JOURNALISTS
CURRENTLY IN TURKISH JAILS AND THE TURKISH PRESS COUNCIL
SAYS THERE MAY ACTUALLY BE TWICE THAT MANY.

SEVERAL U-S PAPERS ARE CALLING ON THE NEW, SECULAR PRIME
MINISTER OF TURKEY, MESUT YILMAZ, TO IMPROVE THE
SITUATION BY FREEING THOSE FALSELY JAILED AND WORKING TO
DECRIMINALIZE FREE SPEECH.

MUCH OF THE PRESS REPRESSION HAS TO DO WITH JOURNALISTS
TRYING TO COVER THE DECADE-LONG CIVIL WAR IN
SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY AGAINST THE KURDS.  WE BEGIN OUR
SAMPLING WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES.

VOICE:   TURKEY HAS THE SHAMEFUL DISTINCTION OF IMPRISONING 
MORE JOURNALISTS THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.  ..... NOW
THAT A NEW GOVERNMENT HAS ASSUMED POWER, IT HAS A 
TIMELY
OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN THOSE PRISON DOORS.  DOING SO WOULD
LESSEN A STAIN ON TURKEY'S REPUTATION AND ENHANCE THE
DEMOCRATIC CREDENTIALS OF PRIME MINISTER MESUT YILMAZ'S
SECULARIST CENTER-RIGHT COALITION.  .... MOST OF THE
JOURNALISTS IN PRISON ARE CHARGED WITH DISSEMINATING
'SEPARATIST PROPAGANDA' OR WITH BEING MEMBERS OF
PROSCRIBED PRO-KURDISH POLITICAL GROUPS.  IN FACT, UNDER
TURKEY'S BROAD ANTI-TERRORISM LAW, JOURNALISM ITSELF IS
CRIMINALIZED AND REPORTERS FACE PRISON FOR DOING THEIR
JOB. [OPT]   ..... THIS IS MORE THAN A PRESS ISSUE.  FOR
NEARLY A DECADE TURKEY HAS RELIED PRIMARILY ON FORCE TO
COUNTER KURDISH TERRORISTS, WITHOUT OPENING A PARALLEL
POLITICAL TRACK FOR A HUGE, AGGRIEVED ETHNIC MINORITY.
PRESS FREEDOM IS AMONG THE CASUALTIES OF A FAILED
STRATEGY, IMPOSED BY THE MILITARY, WHICH MR. YILMAZ
CANNOT CHANGE OVERNIGHT.  YET IT IS WITHIN HIS POWER TO
RELEASE JAILED JOURNALISTS AND DECRIMINALIZE FREE
SPEECH, AN ESSENTIAL PRECONDITION FOR AN END TO TURKEY'S
DOMESTIC TURMOIL." [END OPT]

TEXT:    THE SUN IN BALTIMORE IS ALSO APPALLED AT TURKEY'S
RECORD.

VOICE:   "THE NEW COALITION GOVERNMENT OF PRIME MINISTER 
MESUT YILMAZ WANTS TO WIN RECOGNITION OF TURKEY FOR 
LEGITIMACY AND DEMOCRACY, AFTER MUSCLE-FLEXING BY THE 
MILITARY DISLODGED ITS PARTLY-ISLAMIST PREDECESSOR.  THERE IS 
ONE QUICK WAY FOR MR. YILMAZ TO ACHIEVE THIS: LET THE
REPORTERS, OPINION WRITERS AND BROADCASTERS OUT OF
PRISON. [OPT] THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS ...
HAS DOCUMENTED THE PRESENCE OF 185 REPORTERS, EDITORS
AND BROADCASTERS IN THE PRISONS OF 24 COUNTRIES ROUND
THE WORLD, LOCKED UP FOR DOING THEIR WORK.  OF THESE, AN
ASTONISHING 78 ARE IN TURKEY, FAR MORE THAN IN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY. [END OPT] ..... FOR A REGIME THAT IS A PILLAR
OF NATO AND WANTS TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN UNION, THIS IS
OUT OF CHARACTER WITH ITS ASPIRATIONS."

TEXT:    THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS TALKS ABOUT THE SPECIFICS 
OF THE REPORT, AND NOTES THAT BOTH AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 
AND HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH HAVE ALSO CRITICIZED ANKARA FOR 
ITS RECORD.

VOICE:   "THE UNITED NATIONS CONSIDERS THE FREE EXCHANGE OF 
IDEAS AND INFORMATION A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT.  
TURKEY, A U-N MEMBER STATE, OFFICIALLY AGREES. TURKEY'S
CONSTITUTION SAYS: 'PRESS IS FREE, AND SHALL NOT BE
CENSORED.'  BUT THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT HASN'T LIVED UP
TO ITS OWN IDEALS.  JOURNALISTS IN TURKEY CAN REPORT
FREELY ABOUT SOME TOPICS.  OTHER ISSUES LAND REPORTERS
IN JAIL - -  OR WORSE.  [OPT]  IN JANUARY 1996, POLICE
DETAINED REPORTER METIN GOKTEPE AS HE WAS COVERING THE
FUNERAL OF TWO LEFTIST PRISON INMATES.  DOZENS OF
WITNESSES SAW POLICE BEAT MR. GOKTEPE, WHO DIED FROM HIS
INJURIES.  REVERED  - -  AND ELDERLY - -  WRITER YASAR
KEMAL WAS CHARGED WITH TREASON FOR AN ARTICLE THAT
ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN A GERMAN PUBLICATION.  HE WAS
CONVICTED AND GIVEN A SUSPENDED SENTENCE.  ..... IN
ADDITION, MORE THAN A HALF-DOZEN RADIO AND TELEVISION
STATIONS HAVE BEEN CENSORED, SHUT DOWN, OR PHYSICALLY
ATTACKED.  ..... THE ACTUAL NUMBERS DON'T REALLY MATTER.
[END OPT] TURKEY IS RECOGNIZED BY HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS AS
HAVING A LONGSTANDING PREDILECTION FOR HARASSING AND
CENSORING NATIVE AND VISITING REPORTERS.  ..... FREEDOM
OF EXPRESSION IS CRITICAL TO TRUE DEMOCRACY.  TURKEY'S
GOVERNMENT WILL GAIN INTERNATIONAL RESPECT IF IT
PROTECTS AND NURTURES A FREE PRESS."

TEXT:    IN OHIO, THE AKRON BEACON JOURNAL POINTS OUT THAT
JOURNALISTS ARE   NOT  THE ONLY ONES SUFFERING FROM THE
CURRENT POLICY.

VOICE:   "OF COURSE, IN ADDITION TO THE HARDSHIPS OF THE JAILED
JOURNALISTS, THE TURKISH PEOPLE ARE BEING DENIED THE
FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION AND OPINION - -  THE RIGHT TO
SPEAK THEIR MINDS.  SUCH A GOVERNMENT CAN HARDLY BE
CALLED A DEMOCRACY."

TEXT:    THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER IS ALSO UPSET, AND PRAISES A
GROUP OF WELL KNOWN JOURNALISTS, INCLUDING C-N-N'S PETER
ARNETT, WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN TURKEY DEMANDING THE
RELEASE OF OCAK ISIK YURTCU.  HE WAS JAILED IN DECEMBER
OF 1994 FOR EDITING A DAILY NEWSPAPER CRITICAL OF THE
TURKISH GOVERNMENT AND ITS CONDUCT OF THE CIVIL WAR WITH
THE KURD'S.

VOICE:   "A DELEGATION FROM CPJ [THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT
JOURNALISTS] WILL BE ARRIVING IN TURKEY ON SATURDAY,
 (7/12 EDITORS NOTE: THERE ARE THERE  NOW,  AS THIS IS
WRITTEN 7/15) TO CHAMPION THE CAUSE OF MR. YURTCU AND
HIS MANY JAILED COLLEAGUES BEFORE THE NATION'S TOP
LEADERS.  THEY WILL BE PUSHING FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE
REPRESSIVE LAWS AND THE RELEASE OF THE 78 IMPRISONED
JOURNALISTS.  THEY WILL BE DEMANDING THAT A NATION THAT
WANTS DESPERATELY TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND TO TAKE
PART IN THE WESTERN WORLD'S ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES, ADHERE TO AS FUNDAMENTAL PRECEPT OF
DEMOCRACY:A FREE PRESS."

                              [OPT]

TEXT:    THE ST. PETERSBURG [FLORIDA] TIMES HAS SOME ADVICE FOR
THE NEW TURKISH PRIME MINISTER ON THIS SUBJECT.

VOICE:   "[PRIME MINISTER ERBAKAN] HAS BEEN REPLACED ..... BY
MESUT YILMAZ, A MEMBER OF A SECULAR CENTER-RIGHT PARTY
WHO SAYS HE WILL FORM A GOVERNMENT THAT UPHOLDS 
FREEDOM AND DEMOCRATIC VALUES.  LET HIM START BY RELEASING
DID WHAT JOURNALISTS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO IN A FREE
COUNTRY - -  INFORM THE PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR GOVERNMENT'S
POLICIES AND PRACTICES.  UNTIL ITS PRESS IS FREE, TURKEY
CANNOT CLAIM TO BE A TRULY DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY."

                            [END OPT]

TEXT:    THE BOSTON GLOBE GOES DOWN THE LIST OF THE WORST
OFFENDING COUNTRIES, AND SAYS OF THE TURKS:

VOICE:   "THE MOST EGREGIOUS REPRESSION IS PRACTICED IN 
TURKEY, WHERE 78 REPORTERS AND EDITORS HAVE BEEN GIVEN 
LONG PRISON SENTENCES UNDER ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS OR A
PROVISION OF THE PENAL CODE THAT MAKES ANY ARTICLE
INCONVENIENT TO THE GOVERNMENT A CRIME AGAINST THE
SECURITY OF THE STATE.  THE RUNNERS-UP ARE ETHIOPIA,
WITH 18 JAILED JOURNALISTS, CHINA WITH 17, KUWAIT WITH
15, AND NIGERIA AND BURMA WITH EIGHT EACH.  THEIR
COMBINED TOTAL IS LESS THAN THAT OF TURKEY.  IN A
RESOLUTE EFFORT TO STOP THE CRIMINALIZING OF INDEPENDENT
REPORTING IN TURKEY, THE COMMITTEE .... HAS PETITIONED
ANKARA, AND SENT LETTER OF PROTEST TO THE OUTGOING PRIME
MINISTER, NECMETTIN ERBAKAN, WHO ENLARGED THE SCOPE OF
GOVERNMENT THREATS AGAINST PRESS FREEDOM.  ALL TO NO
AVAIL.  IN 1996, UNDER [MR.] ERBAKAN, THE GOVERNMENT
IMPRISONED 27 MORE JOURNALISTS THAN THE YEAR BEFORE."

TEXT:    THAT CONCLUDES THIS BRIEF SAMPLING OF COMMENTS
CONCERNING THE REPRESSION OF THE PRESS IN TURKEY AND THE
MISSION OF THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
PRESENTLY IN TURKEY PROTESTING THE SITUATION.

NEB/ANG/PT



15-Jul-97 4:30 PM EDT (2030 UTC)


Source: Voice of America