Public broadcaster fires employee for commemorating revolutionaries

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Turkey's public broadcaster TRT held an in-house exam for its employees on March 27. Men and women workers had to take the exam in separate halls according to a decision by the administration.

TRT employees from the KESK Haber-Sen union protested the decision on Twitter on April 1.

A day later, TRT opened an administrative investigation against several employees, including Deniz Salmanlı, a chief video editor and a 22-year employee.

She was suspended from duty on April 9 because of a tweet commemorating the Marxist revolutionaries who were killed in a hostage standoff in 1972.

On August 9, she was dismissed as per Statutory Decree No. 375, which stipulates that those who are members of or "coherent to" terror groups should be dismissed from public service.

In the tweet in question, Salmanlı said, "'We don't surrender!' Mahir Çayan, Hüdai Arıkan, Cihan Alptekin, Ahmet Atasoy, Sinan Kazım Özüdoğru, Sabahattin Kurt, Ömer Ayna, Saffet Alp"

In the investigation documents, TRT stated that "Mahir Çayan was the leader of the THKP-C, which is still described as a terrorist organization, Çayan and 10 of his friends kidnapped and executed two English technicians in Kızıldere village of Tokat, they were also killed in the clash, and this was an act of international terrorism," Halk TV reported.

In her defense, Salmanlı said, "I posted it to commemorate the killing of Çayan and other mentioned people, the death of young people for nothing."

The attorney of Salmanlı, Celal Ülgen, said they will file a lawsuit for reinstatement.

Protest by journalism groups

Yesterday (August 25), journalism organizations held a protest in front of the TRT İstanbul Radio.

Members of the KESK Haber Sen union showed a banner that read "We don't accept the decision of the TRT administration, who unlawfully dismissed Deniz Salmanlı, a 22-year TRT worker.

Haber-Sen Branch No. 5 Chair Özlem Berkin gave a speech, saying, "TRT, whose impartiality is stipulated in the Constitution, belongs to the people. TRT's buildings also belong to the people.

"At TRT, women and men work equally and side by side. The KESK Haber Sen, which is organized in TRT, is the guardian of these principles but the TRT administration tries to silence us with pressure.

"The TRT administration tries to put us under pressure by going on a witch hunt because we made the public aware that women and men took the in-house promotion exam in different halls.

"After our union's protests were covered in the press, investigations were opened against our members one by one to apply pressure on them. The salary of one of our central executive committee members was cut on the grounds that they took a photo inside the building during a transfer.

"Last week, Deniz Salmanlı, a 22-year chief video editor, was fired from the institution on the grounds of a tweet. What a coincidence that the investigation against Deniz Salmanlı was opened on April 2, a day after the union's protest."

Berkin said that the disciplinary regulation was not properly implemented in Salmanlı's case and she was not even able to read the report of the inspector.

"We don't give up on this institution, which is our home," she said.

Members of the Journalists' Union of Turkey, the Communication Research Association (İLAD), and the Reporters Without Borders also attended the demonstration. (HA/VK)