Activists Complain Against Racist Song

The song "Plan, don't make a plan", composed by Ozan Arif and sung by Ismail Türüt gained notoriety when it was played on Youtube's website, accompanied by a clip.

Singer Türüt, speaking by telephone to several television channels, has said that he stands behind the song, but does not approve of the clip. He says that the song does not aim at praising the murder.

Investigation started 

Following a report from the Istanbul Police Department, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has started an investigation of Türüt and composer Ozan Arif.

According to NTV channel, the Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace has decided to block access to the video images on the Youtube site.

Although the prosecution has acted, the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism Initiative and many other NGOs have decided to meet in front of the Sultanahmet Law Court tomorrow (18 September) at 1 pm to read a press statement.

Joint criminal complaint 

The IHD said, "We invite everyone to join this criminal complaint activity in order to react against efforts to make racism and murderers seem harmless."

In addition, the IHD and the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER) are going to collaborate in filing a criminal complaint in Ankara. They are going to accuse Arif, Türüt and those preparing the clip of "praising a crime and criminals".

Representatives of the associations are going to meet in front of the Ankara Law Court at 11.30 am tomorrow (18 September).

Fethiye Cetin, one of the Dink family lawyers, told bianet, "In this case the prosecutors, charged with guarding the public good, need to act on their own account. This is not just the problem of the Dink family, it is a problem for all of us. We will support anyone who wishes to act in addition to the prosecution."

Lyrics of the song

The song's lyrics are as follows:

Plan, do not make a plan, that does not suit the Black Sea,
Stabs in the back, lies and untruths do not succeed at the Black Sea,
Let neither Johnny (i.e. the Americans) nor the Russians lay traps,
The horn of separatism does not blow at the Black Sea,
Stop ringing (church) bells, stop being pro-Armenian,
The people do not swallow such food at the Black Sea,
Let them say this on that day ("Ogün") and this today,
The Black Sea does not run out of Fatihas (Muslim prayer) and Yasins
Put forth your honour, glory and life,
At the Black Sea no one sells their homeland,
If a person sells the homeland, business ends immediately,
The sun of the Turk and Islam does not set at the Black Sea,
As long as we stand like that, even if Bush is your uncle,
Your jeer is not worth five cent.
We know you're offended and hold a grudge,
(But) you're not strong enough to cause a disturbance at the Black Sea.

It is assumed that the line "Let them say this on that day",where "that day" can be read as a name, "Ogün", refers to murder suspect O.S., and the line "The Black Sea does not run out of [...] Yasins" to Yasin Hayal, who stands accused of planning the murder.

"Souvenir" pictures with murder suspect 

The clip on Youtube also includes images of O.S. as he was photographed standing under a Turkish flag on the night of his arrest, on 20 January. It had emerged later that police and gendarmerie officers took "souvenir" pictures of and with O.S..

Meanwhile, the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism Initiative have organised a campaign entitled "Article 301 to be Abolished, Racists to be Judged" and a panel entitled "Why does Article 301 need to be abolished?"

Article 301 needs to be abolished 

Referring to the Supreme Court of Appeal's decision to overturn academics Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran and Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu's acquittal, lawyer Turgut Tarhanli spoke out against Article 301.

Tarhanli, the Dean of Bilgi University's Law Faculty, said that the article was "too abstruse for international standards" and that it needed to be "abolished".

The campaign organisers have prepared a text to be presented to the Turkish Parliament. The text can be signed by anyone wanting a change in the articles of the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law which restrict freedom of expression. (EÖ/NZ/AG)