Cyprus-Forum.com

[joe]

http://www.ifex.org/es/content/view/full/80892/

Alerta

Cartoonist-columnist for previously-harassed newspaper assaulted by nationalists

País/Tema: Cyprus
Fecha: 07 de febrero de 2007
Fuente: Federación Internacional de Periodistas (FIP)
Persona: Huseyin Chakmak
Victimas: periodista(s)
Tipos de violaciónes: asaltado
Urgencia: Amenaza

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 6 February 2007 media release of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), an IFJ regional group:

EFJ Protests over Attack on Journalist in Northern Part of Cyprus

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today condemned the attack on Huseyin Chakmak, a cartoonist and columnist for Turkish Cypriot newspaper Afrika.

Chakmak, President of the Association of Turkish Cypriot Cartoonists, a famous cartoonist who is well known for his struggles for freedom of expression and the reunification of Cyprus and cooperation between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, was attacked on 31 January by nationalists who were upset by his articles and ideas, according to the Union of Cyprus Journalists (UCJ).

"This incident shows that freedom of expression is under attack in the northern part of Cyprus," said EFJ Chair Arne König. "We are supporting our colleague Huseyin Chakmak and his right to express his views in print and for all journalists in northern Cyprus to write and report independently."

Afrika has had faced problems in the past for its publication of stories on political topics. Its offices were bombed twice and its editor, Shener Levent, was convicted many times by military courts and spent two months in prison. Last April the Turkish government started legal proceedings against Turkish Cypriot journalist Serhat Incirli for criticizing Turkey in an article in Afrika, but after strong public outcry the procedure was dropped.

In the recent incident, Chakmak was walking in a neighbourhood in the Turkish Cypriot sector of Nicosia, when a group of men threw stones and tomatoes at him. The cartoonist wrote down the license plate number on their car and gave it to the Turkish Cypriot police who told him they could not reveal the names of the attackers.

Chakmak has previously been threatened by fascists, the regime and the Turkish army in the northern part of Cyprus, the UCJ said. The union condemned the latest attack on Chakmak, which it said "is an attack directly against press freedom," and expressed its solidarity with the journalists working for Afrika.

The EFJ is calling on Turkish Cypriot police to bring the attackers in this case to justice and to ensure that any further threats against Chakmak or other Afrika staff are fully investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted.

The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in over 30 countries.

[Sotos]

They forced almost all real Cypriots to leave from the occupied areas either at gun point in 74 with GCs or with actions like this for TCs. And then they say that only 3.2% TCs feel Cypriots! Did they even allow them to be Cypriots? If the brainwashing doesn't work then the threats, beating and killing will! Thats how the Turkish army works.

[shahmaran]

oh give it a rest man, you are over dramatising everything about the Turks...

coincidentally on the same page there is an article about the TC teachers going to court in the RoC to win the rights of the TCs who live in Limasol for being able to learn their own language (turkish), so appearantly thats not allowed? what shall i say now? oh thoose bloody Greeks, thats how they work

but i dont work like this...

[Pyrpolizer]

I believe in that school the language is turkish, no?
I think the TC teachers are demonstrating because according to the constitution the matter of Education is the job of the communal assembly (in this case the TC separate right), not the job of any ministry.And i bieve they are right.

Anyway there is a traditional preference of the Turkish deep state against journalists. I think a total of 21 have already been kiiled. TC Kutlu Adali is one of them. And it is not only the killing. Lots of harassment, imprisonment etc. Sener Levent has about 1000 charges still pending against him...

Silencing the press is like silencing democracy.

[reportfromcyprus]

After Hrant Dink's assasination, I was hoping the Turkish govt would make a clear statement about the freedom of the press. These attacks will keep on happening unless there's a real effort to support journalists right to express themselves openly in Turkey and in the Turkish Cypriot community.

[shahmaran]

I believe in that school the language is turkish, no?
I think the TC teachers are demonstrating because according to the constitution the matter of Education is the job of the communal assembly (in this case the TC separate right), not the job of any ministry.And i bieve they are right.

Anyway there is a traditional preference of the Turkish deep state against journalists. I think a total of 21 have already been kiiled. TC Kutlu Adali is one of them. And it is not only the killing. Lots of harassment, imprisonment etc. Sener Levent has about 1000 charges still pending against him...

Silencing the press is like silencing democracy.

Yeah funny that, we hear similar stories about the Thracian Turks who live in Greece and how no journalist is allowed to document the conditions they live under, appearantly even their mufti is appointed by the government and not allowed to be chosen by the people, and the government seems to supress their Turkish identity in every way possible, why dont we see any of these "democratic" voices rise up in their case?

I tell you why, because Turkey is not the ONLY country who doesnt always go "by the book" when her interests are at stake, and we all know this, but its just that people choose to make a LOT more noise when its Turkey.

[zan]

I think if you delve a bit more into what is going on in Greece it will scare a hell of a lot more TCs into wanting partition.