Several Swedish MPs have applied to the Nobel Peace Committee with the proposal to give the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to famous Turkish human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu.
As the Turkish Evrensel website informs, the Swedish MPs mentioned in their proposal that Zarakolu published materials on the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish issue which are taboos in Turkey.
He has been sentenced for that publications several times.
One month ago Zarakolu has sent a letter to the Turkish parliament calling them to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
թ§Չ-ժYes, Turkey must face its history. It is not only an obligation towards the victims but also a duty for securing healthy way of thinking for the society. The acknowledgement of the genocide will not belittle Turkey but will strengthen it,թ§Չ-Թ Zarakolu wrote.
RAGIP ZARAKOLU (Writer, publisher and human rights activist)
Sent by the Committee for Solidarity with Zarakolu
Born in 1948 on BթԹԶyթԹԶkada. He graduated from the School of Economics of the թԹ՛stanbul University after his primary and secondary educations in Selim SթԹ՞rrթԹ՞ Tarcan Primary School (Niթ ժԴantaթ ժԴթԹ՞), FթԹ՞ndթԹ՞klթԹ՞ and Kabataթ ժԴ High Schools. He got a masterթ§Չ-Չ§s degree in the same school. He was obliged to discontinue his doctorate twice because of a military coup of 1971 and Prof. Dr. Cahit Orhan TթԹԶtengilթ§Չ-Չ§s having murdered by paramilitary forces.
In 1971, Zarakolu was tried in the թ§Չ-խSadi AlkթԹ՞lթԹ՞թԹ«թ§Չ-Չ§ case (as the first amnesty campaign in Turkey) on charges of secret relations to Amnesty InternationalթԹ with several intellectuals such as Prof. Azra Erhat who has translated Homeros from Greek; Criminal Law Professor թՉ❁etin թՉzek; Pianist Magdelana Rufer; Vedat GթԹԶnyol and Sebahattin EyթԹԶboթժԴlu who were pioneers of Humanism in Turkey; journalists Osman Arolat ve AydթԹ՞n Engin; Tilda GթԹԳkթԹ«eli who is wife of Yaթ ժԴar Kemal; youth leaders Harun Karadeniz and Masis KթԹԶrթԹ«թԹԶgil; speaker Erdal Boratap; Dr. Nihat SargթԹ՞n who was one of leaders of TթԹ՛P (Turkeyթ§Չ-Չ§s Workersթ§Չ-Չ§ Party). Why those persons league together is their correspondence with Selma Ashwird from Amnesty International. This fictitious case collapsed, but, during trials, թՉ❁etin թՉzek had a nervous break down in Harbiye cells and Sebahattin EyթԹԶboթժԴlu (who has been chairman of the National Education Ministry Translation Board organizing translations of the worldթ§Չ-Չ§sթԹ classics to Turkish in 1940թ§Չ-Չ§s, and charged of sending Tolstoyթ§Չ-Չ§s War and Peace to NazթԹ՞m Hikmet who has been in prison in 1945) was died from heart attack. Zarakolu spent five months in prison, before the charges were dropped. But, in 1972, he was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment for his article in the journal Ant on Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War. This was a price of protesting theթԹ Vietnam War by courts martial. He stayed in Selimiye Prison and was released in 1974 following a general amnesty. He wanted to continue his doctorate abroad, but he could not take passport. In 1977, Zarakolu and his wife established Belge Publishing House in Istanbul. First case was brought against him for his translation of Oskar Langeթ§Չ-Չ§s The Role of the State in Monopoly Capitalism. And charges brought against the couple resulted in imprisonment for both Ayթ ժԴenur and RagթԹ՞p Zarakolu, the wholesale confiscation and destruction of books and the imposition of heavy fines.
In 1979, Zarakolu founded the daily newspaper Demokrat with 36 intellectuals and writers and took responsibility for the news desk on foreign affairs. The paper was banned with the military coup of 12 September 1980 and RagթԹ՞p Zarakolu was shortly imprisoned in 1982 in connection with this position in Demokrat; this case ended 8 years later. He was banned from leaving the country between 1971 and 1991.
In 1981,թԹ Zarakolu established Alternatif Publishing House and started to publish թ§Չ-ժLթ§Չ-Չ§etat Mondeթ§Չ-Թ annuals. In 1982, he founded Alan Publishing House with Emil Galip SandalcթԹ՞ and Arslan Baթ ժԴer KafaoթժԴlu.
In 1986, he became one of 98 founders of the Human Rights Association in Turkey with many intellectuals such as Emil Galip, Aziz Nesin, Murat Belge, Prof. Nuri Karacan, AkթԹ՞n Birdal. He himself took part in establishing its թԹ՛stanbul branch and participated in the international rights congresses and forums in Madrid, Marseille, Cairo, Valette, Paris (during the 50th Anniversary of Human Rights Declaration) and Vienna. He went to Britain and North Irland to study the detention conditions. In 1987, he became one of founders of the Turkey Social History Foundation.
During 1980թ§Չ-Չ§s, in Belge, Zarakolu began to turn his attention to history of the left, abuses of human rights by governments in South America and elsewhere, basic human rights documents, alternative history.թԹ He confronted many cases owing to his published books. Afterwards Belge published a series of books written by political prisoners. The series of 35 books consisted of poems, shorts stories, novels. The list of publications include many books (translations) of Greek literature and on the Armenian Question, including George Jerjian’s The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled, Professor Dora Sakayan’s An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna Ordeal of 1922 թ§Չ-Չwhich brought new criminal charges in 2005 and David Gaunt’s book Massacres, Resistance, Protectors, and on the Jews in Turkey.թԹ There are also a number of books dealing with the Kurds in Turkey. Belge also brought the subject of Pontos, another tatoo, up for discussion, published the books about population exchange for the first time in Turkey and took up comprehensively the themes such as torture, losses, forced migration, freedom of though. In 1995, Belge Publishing House office was firebombed by a far right group, forcing it to be housed in a cellar.
Also court cases against Zarakolu and Belge include one for publishing the HRW report showing the infringements of war law. On the other hand,թԹ Belge published the international reports concerning the Police Reform, the independence of judiciary in Turkey during 1990թ§Չ-Չ§s and early 2000թ§Չ-Չ§s. The cost of all efforts was the banning of more than 40 books and the imprisonment of his wife for 2 years. In 1980թ§Չ-Չ§s, for Zarakoluթ§Չ-Չ§s wife who was the owner of Belge has been imprisoned; bad imprisonment conditions caused a kidney disease resulting in late diagnosis of her cancer and her consequential death at 56.
On the other side, the Human Rights Association is trying to call attention to the situation of writers, intellectuals and journalists who were on trial due to their thoughts by granting an award of freedom of thought each year under the name of Ayթ ժԴenur Zarakolu Award. Those awarded included Hrant Dink.
Zarakolu is writing articles on the opposing press since 1969, but he is still deprive of professional yellow press card. Since 1991, he is writing on the newspaper թՉzgթԹԶr GթԹԶndem giving voice to the Kurdish Question under the heaviest conditions and became editor-in-chief of this newspaper time to time for solidarity. He is writing for the newspapers Evrensel, BirgթԹԶn, Radikal and Taraf from time to time. He is also columnist of the newspaper Evrensel.
Zarakolu and his wife raised two children within this hullabaloo, Deniz and Sinan. Deniz who is essentially civil engineer is one of the editors at the Belge Publishing House and a Ph.D. student at Bilgi University; his doctorate left half finished due to his arrest like his father. Sinan is architect and musician.
Zarakolu, in 2004, married a photograph artist Katherine Holle. Thus, to his family, two children added : թ
ժԷeref who is a graduate of the New York University and having medical education;թԹ and Zerrin who is a student of the New York Bard College. (cetinoglus@gmail.com)
Zarakolu dans une lettre de campagne adressթԹ.e թԹ Sarkozy
Le Collectif VAN a prթԹ.parթԹ. la lettre suivante au PrթԹ.sident de la RթԹ.publique afin que le gouvernement de Nicolas Sarkozy dթԹ.fende, devant le Conseil Constitutionnel, la loi pթԹ.nalisant la nթԹ.gation des gթԹ.nocides et que le PrթԹ.sident puisse la promulguer au plus vite.
“Je me permets de vous adresser ce courrier suite թԹ lթ§Չ-Չ§adoption, le 23 janvier 2012, de la loi sanctionnant la pթԹ.nalisation des gթԹ.nocides reconnus par la France. Notre immense soulagement a թԹ.tթԹ. de courte durթԹ.e puisque le Conseil Constitutionnel a թԹ.tթԹ. saisi par des parlementaires de tous bords pour faire invalider cette loi.
“Citoyen(ne) de cette RթԹ.publique franթԹ«aise des droits de lթ§Չ-Չ§homme, jթ§Չ-Չ§en appelle թԹ vous afin que vous preniez les mesures qui sթ§Չ-Չ§imposent, car vous seul թ§Չ-Չ ou votre gouvernement – թԹ՝tes habilitթԹ. թԹ dթԹ.fendre, devant le Conseil constitutionnel, la loi pթԹ.nalisant la nթԹ.gation des gթԹ.nocides et թԹ faire obstacle թԹ ceux qui, de facto, prթԹ.fթԹ—rent protթԹ.ger lթ§Չ-Չ§Etat turc plutթԹԲt que leurs propres concitoyens.
“Lթ§Չ-Չ§acharnement de certains parlementaires franթԹ«ais est dթ§Չ-Չ§autant plus malvenu quթ§Չ-Չ§il rթԹ.pond թԹ une demande de lթ§Չ-Չ§ambassadeur de Turquie en France, adressթԹ.e aux opposants թԹ la loi. Cette ingթԹ.rence reprթԹ.sente une violation du mandat de tout diplomate թԹ.tranger et porte atteinte aux conditions essentielles de la souverainetթԹ. nationale.
“Jթ§Չ-Չ§apprends que si la loi venait թԹ թԹ՝tre invalidթԹ.e vous dթԹ.poseriez dans les plus brefs dթԹ.lais un nouveau texte de loi. Cela vous honore, mais ce serait trop tard au vu du calendrier parlementaire de cette annթԹ.e թԹ.lectorale. La presse turque se gausse de vos rթԹ.actions en faisant rթԹ.fթԹ.rence թԹ un message que vous auriez envoyթԹ. au Premier ministre Erdogan aprթԹ—s le vote de la loi, lui signalant que vous aviez 15 jours pour la promulguer. Ce qui, selon les observateurs turcs, signifie : թԹ, Je vous donne une chance de convaincre les politiques franթԹ«ais. թԹե (HDN du 02/02/12).
“Il me paraթԹ…trait assez incroyable quթ§Չ-Չ§aprթԹ—s vos engagements forts en faveur dթ§Չ-Չ§une loi pթԹ.nalisant un nթԹ.gationnisme odieux, diligentթԹ. sur les territoires de la RթԹ.publique par un Etat tiers, vous ayez finalement cթԹ.dթԹ. aux pressions et manipulations nթԹ.gationnistes : cela reviendrait թԹ encourager, en France, la contestation de tous les gթԹ.nocides et de mettre en pթԹ.ril la Loi Gayssot, comme vous lթ§Չ-Չ§avez soulignթԹ. թԹ juste titre.
“Le premier ministre turc, M. Erdogan, a fait preuve depuis dթԹ.cembre 2011, dթ§Չ-Չ§une grossiթԹ—retթԹ. indicible թԹ lթ§Չ-Չ§encontre de votre pթԹ—re, de vous-mթԹ՝me, et de la France. Que celle-ci sթ§Չ-Չ§abaisse devant lթ§Չ-Չ§arrogance dթ§Չ-Չ§un թՉ՛tat nթԹ.gationniste serait tout simplement impensable. Sans compter que cette dթԹ.mission porterait un coup terrible թԹ tous les dթԹ.mocrates turcs qui se sont engagթԹ.s թ§Չ-Չ au pթԹ.ril de leur vie թ§Չ-Չ en faveur de la loi, seule garante, selon eux, dթ§Չ-Չ§une dթԹ.mocratisation de la Turquie.
“A lթ§Չ-Չ§heure oթԹդ lթ§Չ-Չ§on apprend que lթ§Չ-Չ§թԹ.diteur Ragip Zarakolu, qui du fond de sa prison turque a soutenu ce texte, est officiellement candidat pour le Prix Nobel de la Paix, je vous adjure de tenir vos promesses et de contribuer թԹ redonner թԹ la France la place quթ§Չ-Չ§elle a toujours tenue dans le combat contre lթ§Չ-Չ§oppression.”
Le Collectif VAN appelle ses lecteurs թԹ adresser cette lettre թԹ l’ElysթԹ.e
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