Hürriyet Journalist Cölasan Dismissed

Emin Cölasan was a columnist for Hürriyet newspaper for 22 years, but has now been dismissed. The  Journalist’s Association of Turkey (TGC) has condemned the dismissal, saying, “We cannot accept that Cölasan, an important writer in the Turkish media, has been dismissed because of his dissident articles.

Ahmet Abakay, the chairperson of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (CGD), stated that “Cölasan’s dismissal is a warning to other opposition writers.”

Journalist Fatih Altayli has said that he is not surprised by Cölasan’s dismissal because the newspaper’s owner, Aydin Dogan, had wanted to get rid of him for the last four years. What stopped him was the fear that Cölasan would transfer to another big newspaper, namely “Sabah”.

TGC: Protect the freedom of the press

The executive board of the TGC stated that it would support Cölasan. In a written statement, the association said: “That such an event has taken place at a time when messages of compromise and tolerance abound makes us worried about the government-press relations in the coming period.”

The TGC emphasised that the freedom of press was an indispensable element of democracy. It reminded everyone, including the media, that everyone should work towards ending this kind of censorship.

CGD: An opposition writer has been punished

The CGD has argued that Cölasan has been dismissed due to pressure from the AKP government on the newspaper: “This is the punishment of a writer who does not support the government. The decision is proof that the newspaper will not be independent of the government and does not want to be.”

“The issue goes beyond Emin Cölasan; the government has successfully silenced a writer who expresses dissident opinions.”

Ipekci: Several journalists have been fired

Three journalists joined a live prgramme on Sky Türk; “Cumhuriyet” journalist Ali Sirmen, Kanal Türk owner Tuncay Özkan and Turkey Journalists’ Syndicate (TGS) chairperson Ercan Ipekci described Cölasan’s dismissal as “a blow to the freedom of expression.”

Ipekci said that less well-known journalists than Cölasan had been fired previous to the general elections of 22 July. “At that point we began to worry whether there was restructuring under way. It seems that the editors-in-chief have decided to develop that model.”

“Every newspaper has its own style. We don’t believe that people are dismissed because of accusations of insults.”

“If [Cölasan] has been fired because he criticised the government, then we are worried. It would mean that rather than maintaining the freedom of the press and of expression, the media is violating it.”

Altayli: His dismissal was predictable

Altayli worked for Hürriyet for a long time and then transferred to Sabah. He now works for the Gazeteport.com.tr website. He said in an article, “Profiting from the absence of Sabah, the Dogan Group is cleaning up.”

He added, “The Dogan Group is trying to get rid of those people it sees as burdens, those who make its life difficult. Because Sabah is now controlled by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) and is not a rival anymore, there is no possibility of Cölasan transferring there. They were able to fire him easily.” (EÖ/EÜ/AG)