Fördöm angreppen på den revolutionära pressen i Turkiet!

Den revolutionära journalisten Suzan Zengin greps i slutet av augusti i Turkiet. Detta är bara ett i raden av angrepp som ägt rum under den senaste tiden mot den revolutionära pressen i Turkiet. Suzan Zengin är en journalist som fängslats på rent politiska grunder. Om det nu finns någon som helst ärlig avsikt att försvara pressfriheten hos dem som driver kampanjen för Dawit Isaak, så förväntar vi oss att de nu även uttalar sig för Suzan Zengin. Så länge publicerar vi här nedan ett uttalande (på engelska) från den tidning där hon arbetade när hon greps.

Imprisonment against Journalist of progressive-revolutionary socialist Paper
ISCI KOYLU!

Conspiracy and arrestment against our journalist worker
Suzan Zengin

The massive attacks, arrests and the censoring of the media, closings of oppositional revolutionary and progressive papers in Turkey have recently increased. All of these attacks happen in a time in where Turkey talks about “Kurdish solution” and “democracy solution”. But in reality it’s the other way around, with repression, false scenarios and all other kinds of repressive measures the democratic, patriotic, revolutionary, socialist movement and its activists are under permanent attack. The recent example shows the real character of the Turkish fascist state. This time the attack was against our reporter and journalist Suzan Zengin from our office in Kartal/Istanbul. Suzan Zengin has been working for Umut Publications for more than 7 years. She was also a representative of ILPS Turkey (International League of Peoples’ Struggle. On August 28th at 06:15 am her house was raided by police forces of the anti-terror department, without showing any real and legitimate reason. Suzan Zengin was taken under custody and brought to the main police headquarters in Istanbul. Her lawyer wasn’t allowed to take a look into her file under the pretext that there has been a secret decision. Suzan and three other persons were held under custody for three days and brought to the State Security Court in Besiktas/Istanbul on August 31st. Suzan is protesting against this unjust and illegitimate decision by starting a hunger strike. When they were brought to the court Suzan was chanting protest slogans like “oppression, conspiracy cannot intimidate us”, “Down with fascism” etc. Afterwards Suzan and the other three persons were imprisoned. She was detained and brought to the prison in Bakirkoy/Istanbul and the others were brought to the prison in Metris.

This case is nothing else than a conspiracy, the indictment says that Suzan Zengin was making “suspicious phone calls” with one of the three persons that have also been imprisoned. They have been under surveillance by the police because of some other case. This claim is ridiculous; since Suzan was working in the office in Kartal she was answering the phone calls at the office. Such false claims are already enough to arrest our worker and imprison her. Just a while ago state police forces held operations in Erzincan and arrested and imprisoned two of our journalists and other activists. This shows the illegitimate and hostile attitude of the state towards the revolutionary-socialist press. Attacks, arrests, imprisonments and conspiracy cannot stop the struggle of the revolutionary and socialist press, a struggle that we are waging with honor.

We call upon all revolutionary, democratic, socialist and progressive organisations and individuals to be in solidarity with the imprisoned workers of our paper and all political prisoners and to condemn these unjust and illegitimate measures of the Turkish state.

Long Live International Solidarity!
The revolutionary and socialist Press cannot be silenced!


İŞÇİ KÖYLÜ (PEASENT-WORKER)
September 2009