"Release Journalist Zengin and Writer Akhanlı"

Suzan Zengin, İşçi-Köylü ('Workers-Peasants) newspaper representative of the Kartal office (east of Istanbul) has been detained for a whole year now under charges of "membership of an illegal organization". The first hearing of her case is scheduled for 26 August. Ragıp Zarakolu, President of the Freedom of Publishing Committee of the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB), said that Zengin should be released.

The association held a press conference in the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) to draw attention to the situation of Zengin and also to demand the release of writer Erdoğan Akhanlı. He had to leave Turkey in the course of the events around the military coup on 12 September 1980. Akhanlı returned to Turkey 18 years later. He was arrested at the airport and detained in Metris Prison (Istanbul).

Zarakolu criticized that the Anti-Terror Law (TMY) is used to oppress the socialist and the Kurdish press:

"A campaign against the TMY has to be initiated. As long as the TMY is in force as it is, arbitrary applications will be imposed on journalists. Zengin is being detained for more than a year without a reason. Akhanlı was tortured and imprisoned because of this struggle against the 12 September [military coup] fascism. It is the irony of history that he is being detained because of the mindset of 12 September just before the referendum on 12 September [on the constitutional reform package] which is meant to change that very mindset", Zarakolu stated.

Zengin: They wanted Suzan to lose influence

The husband of journalist Suzan Zengin, Bekir Zengin, talked about his wife's detention:

"Suzan was detained in particular because of her influence in Kartal. They wanted her to lose that influence and to leave the area. She was detained despite a lack of evidence. When they raided our house they told her not to take any personal belongings with her. We understood that she would be in detention for a while".

Abay: Press organizations should show Zengin the same sensitivity they showed Balbay

Necati Abay from the Solidarity Platform for Detained Journalists (TGDP) visited detained journalists Mustafa Balbay and Tuncay Özkan last week. After his visit he addressed the heads of the professional press organizations with an urgent call:

"I call Oktay Ekşi, Orhan Erinç and Ercan Ipekçi. They should show Suzan Zengin the same sensitivity as they are showing the two journalists who are detained in Silivri (west of Istanbul) in the scope of the Ergenekon trial".

"Poyraz, Özkan and Balbay are not detained because of journalism"

Abay later on said that according to his figures, 37 journalists are currently detained in prison.

"Seven people from the Azadiya Welat newspaper are in detention, seven from Atılım [Advance] newspaper, six people from the DİHA news agency, two from Gündem [Agenda] newspaper, two from Işçi-Köylü newspaper, and one person each from Özgür [Free] Radio, Özgür Gençlik [Free Youth] magazine, Gün [Day] TV, Özgür Halk [Free People] Magazine, Radio Dünya [World], Aram Publishing, Emek and Adalet [Labour and Justice], Eylül [September] magazine, Yürüyüş [March] magazine, Devrimci Demokrasi [Revolutionary Democracy] newspaper, Devrimci Hareket [Revolutionary Movement] magazine, Kadının Umundunun Rengi [Colour of Woman's Hope] newspaper and the Odak [Focus] magazine".

bianet asked Abay why the number he gave was different from the figures given by the professional press organizations. He replied:

"Some persons such as Mustafa Balbay, Tuncay Özkan or Ergun Poyraz are not detained because of journalism. Together with the ones released we counted 37 according to our evaluation".

Toğay Okay from the Isçi-Köylü newspaper and Yıldız Uygun from Özgür University reiterated the claim to release Zengin.

Zengin's hearing is scheduled for 10.00 am on Thursday morning (26 August) at the Beşiktaş (Istanbul) 10^th High Criminal Court. Another press statement will be released in front of the Court House at 9.30 am. (BT/VK)