Civil Servants Get Cautioned For Writing

Mus provincial National Education Directorate reproaches and then cautions literature teacher for writing articles for a local newspaper after Adiyaman governors office warns civil servants not to write public articles.

Erol Önderoğlu

Following a recent decree by the governor's office of Adiyaman warning civil servants not to write articles for newspapers, the National Education Directorate of Mus has issued a caution against a literature teacher writing for a newspaper.

Industry Vocational High School literature teacher Kasim Siginc was reproached by the Directorate for writing for the local Haber 49 (News 49) newspaper allegedly having violated the Civil Servants Law. On grounds of his good behaviour and "clean record" the penalty was then changed to a caution.

The teacher was subject to investigation and the subsequent caution due to the views he expressed in an article titled "Egitim-Sen and Education in the Mother Tongue" published on March 27, 2006, and a subsequent statement he made to the Dicle News Agency where he claimed the "Mus National Education Directorate is operating like the office of a political party". Bianet learned that another teacher who also wrote for the local newspaper was cautioned too.

National Education Directorate deputy director Yavuz Icyer who called on the teacher to be more careful in the future was himself a columnist for the Aydin Mus newspaper which closed down. Icyer had filed for 10,000 YTL damages against the Haber 49 newspaper for its articles on the directorate and the case is due to be heard on July 7.

The developments come in the wake of a decree issued by the governor's office of Adiyaman to public institutions warning against writers of local newspapers who were contract employees of public offices or civil servants.

Article 657 of Turkey's Civil Servants Law bans civil servants from giving statements to newspapers, agencies, radio and televisions on their public duties. Article 125 of the same law states that a civil servant can be reproached in writing for any activity that will discredit that servant or erode confidence. (EO/TK/II/YE)

Origin

BÄ°A News Center

Erol Önderoğlu

[email protected]

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A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without...

A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where he began as a reporter in 1996. Since 1999, he has worked at bianet, a project of the IPS Communication Foundation, as the coordinator of the Legal Support Desk, editor for freedom of expression, and editor-in-chief. He has authored more than 4,800 signed news articles and opinion pieces. He has also written for Bizim Gazete and the journal Güncel Hukuk. He currently prepares the Media Monitoring Reports at bianet.