61 Journalists Killed in 1 century

The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) announced that in the last 100 years 61 journalists have been killed because of a hostile manner and merely for the reason of their profession.

As the first victim TGC mentioned journalist Hasan Fehmi Bey who was murdered on the Galata Bridge in the centre of Istanbul in 1909, saying that ever since the press history of Turkey has been interspersed with unforgettable moments of grief. Today (17 November) the association and family members of the assassinated journalists will commemorate the victims in a meeting.

Relatives of 4 journalists will join

TGC declared that the family members of 4 murdered journalist will join: Nükhet İpekçi as the daughter of Millyet newspaper editor Abdi İpekçi who was killed in 1979; Ali Naki Kaftancıoğlu together with his wife Dr. Canan Katancıoğlu for his father Ümit Kaftancıoğlu who was murdered on 11 April 1980; and Meryem Türkmen whose younger sister Metin Göktepe was assassinated on 8 January 1996 as a journalist of Evrensel newspaper. Additionally, Mehmet Emeç confirmed his participation. His father Çetin Emeç, Hürriyet newspaper editor at the time, was killed on 7 March 1990.

The meeting will start at 5.00 pm with an opening speech of TGC chairman Orhan Erinç. After that, authors Hıfzı Topuz and Nail Güreli will rise to speak. They wrote a book entitled "A bullet to freedom" and will talk about their views of the matter. The meeting is going to continue with contributions from the relatives of the murdered journalists.

A documentary made by Günel Çantak, student of the Radio-Television Department in the Communications Faculty of the Isparta Süleyman Demirel University, will also be shown.

61 journalists killed

TGC reported the names and work places of the murdered journalists besides their place and date of death as follows:

Hasan Fehmi Bey / Serbesti ('Freedom'), Istanbul, 6 April 1909

Ahmet Samim / Sada-yı Millet, Istanbul, 19 July 1910

Zeki Bey  / Şehrah, Istanbul, 10 July 1911

Şair Hüseyin Kami / Alemdar ('Leader'), Konya, 1912 or 1914

Hasan Tahsin (Osman Nevres) / Hukuk-u Beşer ('Human Rights'), Izmir, 15 May 1919

Silahçı Tahsin / Silah ve Bomba ('Weapon and Bomb'), Istanbul 27 July 1914

İştirakçi Hilmi / İştirak ('Contribution'), Medeniyet ('Civilization'), Istanbul 1922

Ali Kemal / Peyam-ı Sabah, İzmit 1922

Hikmet Şevket, 1930

Sabahattin Ali / Marko Pasha, Edirne 1948

Adem Yavuz / Anka Agency, Cyprus, 27 August 1974

Ali İhsan Özgür / Politika ('Politics'), Istanbul, 21 November 1978

Cengiz Polatkan / Hafta Sonu ('Weekend'), Ankara, 1 December 1978

Abdi İpekçi / Milliyet ('Nationality'), Istanbul, 1 February 1979

İlhan Darendelioğlu / Ortadoğu ('Middle East'), Istanbul, 19 November 1979

İsmail Gerçeksöz / Ortadoğu, Istanbul, 4 April 1980

Ümit Kaftancıoğlu / TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Company), Istanbul, 11 April 1980

Muzaffer Fevzioğlu / Hizmet ('Service'), Trabzon, 15 April 1980

Recai Ünal / Demokrat, Istanbul, 22 July 1980

Mevlüt Işıt / Türkiye ('Turkey'), Ankara, 1 June 1988

Seracettin Müftüoğlu / Hürriyet ('Freedom'), Nusaybin (eastern Turkey), 29 June 1989

Sami Başaran / Gazete ('Newspaper'), Istanbul, 7 November 1989

Kamil Başaran / Gazete, Istanbul, 7 November 1989

Çetin Emeç / Hürriyet, Istanbul, 7 March 1990

Turan Dursun / İkibine Doğru ('Towards 2000') and Yüzyıl Dergileri ('Century Magazines'), Istanbul, 4 September 1990

Gündüz Etil, 1991

Mehmet Sait Erten / Azadi, Denk, Diyarbakır 1992

Halit Güngen / İkibine Doğru, Diyarbakır, 18 February 1992

Cengiz Altun / Yeni Ülke ('New Country'), Batman (eastern Turkey), 25 February 1992

İzzet Kezer / Sabah ('Morning'), Cizre (eastern Turkey), 23 March 1992

Bülent Ülkü / Körfeze Bakış ('View to the Gulf'), Bursa (western Turkey), 1 April 1992

Mecit Akgün / Yeni Ülke, Nusaybin, 2 June 1992

Hafız Akdemir / Özgür Gündem ('Free Agenda'), Diyarbakır, 8 June 1992

Çetin Ababay / Özgür Halk ('Free People'), Batman, 29 July 1992

Yahya Orhan / Özgür Gündem, Ceylanpınar (Syrian border), 9 August 1992

Hüseyin Deniz / Özgür Gündem, Ceylanpınar, 9 August 1992

Musa Anter / Özgür Gündem, Diyarbakır, 20 September 1992

Yaşar Aktay / Serbest ('Free'), Hani (eastern Turkey), 9 November 1992

Hatip Kapçak / Serbest, Mazıdağı (eastern Turkey), 18 November 1992

Namık Tarancı / Gerçek ('Truth'), Diyarbakır, 20 November 1992

Uğur Mumcu / Cumhuriyet ('Republic'), Ankara, 24 January 1993

Kemal Kılıç / Yeni Ülke, Şanlıurfa (eastern Turkey), 18 February 1993

Mehmet İhsan Karakuş, Silvan (eastern Turkey) 13 March 1993

Ercan Gürel / HHA, 20 May 1993

İhsan Uygur / Sabah, Istanbul, 6 July 1993

Rıza Güneşer / Halkın Gücü ('People's Power'), 14 July 1993

Ferhat Tepe / Özgür Gündem, Bitlis (eastern Turkey), 28 July 1993

Muzaffer Akkuş / Milliyet, 20 September 1993

Nazım Babaoğlu / Gündem, 12 March 1994

Erol Akgün / Devrimci Çözüm ('Revolutionary Solution'), 1994

Seyfettin Tepe / Yeni politika ('New Politics'), 28 August 1995

Metin Göktepe / Evrensel ('Universal'), Istanbul, 8 January 1996

Kutlu Adalı / Yeni Düzen ('New Order'), Cyprus, 8 July 1996

Selahattin Turgay Daloğlu, Istanbul, 9 September 1996

Reşat Aydın / AA ('Anatolian News Agency'), TRT, 20 June 1997

Ayşe Sağlam Derince, 3 September 1997

Abdullah Doğan / Candan Fm, Konya (central Anatolia), 13 July 1997

Ünal Mesutoğlu / TRT, Manisa (west coast), 8 November 1997

Mehmet Topaloğlu / Kurtuluş ('Independence'), Adana 1998

Ahmet Taner Kışlalı / Cumhuriyet, Ankara, 21 October 1999

Hrant Dink / Agos, Istanbul, 19 January 2007 (EÖ/VK)