Publishers from Germany to Come to İstanbul for Aslı Erdoğan

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German Book Publishing and Publishers Association Stock Market Union CEO Alexander Skipis and John Steinmark will come to İstanbul to hold talks regarding imprisoned author Aslı Erdoğan.

On the petition he sent before coming to Turkey, Skipis said:

“Government of Turkey has launched a heavy attack on freedom of expression. Government of Germany and the European Commission cannot remain silent about this matter anymore. Freedom of expression is a basic human right and indisputable. Politicians and governments are obliged to commit and assert this basic right whether it suits their policies. We cannot allow freedom of expression to be infringed for political interests. We are coming to break this silence and give a clear signal in order to support freedom of expression, and we need to work on this together”.

Panel and declaration

Skipis will attend “For Speech and Freedom” panel, which will be organized in İstanbul Kitap Fuarı Karadeniz Salonu (İstanbul Book Fair Black Sea Hall) at 3-4:30 p.m. on November 13 Sunday, in which he will highlight Erdoğan.

Skipis will meet Erdoğan if the Ministry permits and will issue a press statement at the door of Bakırköy Closed Women Prison about Aslı Erdoğan at 2 p.m. on Monday.

Petition to ministers

Skipis submitted a petition to Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu and requested a visit to Aslı Erdoğan.

What had happened?

İstanbul 8th Criminal Court of Peace closed Özgür Gündem daily on August 16 on charge of “[illegal] organization propaganda”.

After a short while of the daily’s closing, Riot Squad Police raided daily’s building in İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district.

Özgür Gündem’s Publishing Consultancy Board Member and author Aslı Erdoğan was arrested on August 19.

Daily’s Editor-in-Chief Zana Kaya and Chief Clerk İnan Kızılkaya were arrested on August 22.

Necmiye Alpay was arrested on August 31. (BK/TK)