Bianet - "Daily Gundem Suspended by Court Order":"Ulkede Ozgur Gundem" 
newspaper editor Nurettin Firat says last week's court decision to suspend 
the daily from print for 15 days shows there is no democracy in Turkey: "The 
Military authority is determining the country's agenda".

ISTANBUL / 20 November 2006 / by Erol Onderoglu

A 16 November Istanbul High Criminal Court order to suspend the print of 
pro-Kurdish Ulkede Ozgur Gundem (Free Agenda in the Country) newspaper for
15 days is "a blow to democratization" in Turkey which shows the country's 
agenda is still determined by military authority, according to the daily's 
news editor Nurettin Firat.

The order to close down Gundem came in the wake of Chief of General Staff 
Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit's recent public remarks that "such 
publications should not be allowed" and is the second suspension order 
slapped on the newspaper since August.

The August 4 decision of a 15 day suspension from print was appealed against 
and the daily went back into print and circulation before its due date.

Firat: "Buyukanit showed target, prosecutor acted"

Ulkede Ozgur Gundem's news editor Nurettin Firat said on the closure 
decision that "Buyukanit showed a target, the prosecutors acted" and 
referred to his statement at a November 10 cocktail where the country's top 
general was quoted as saying "Magazines and daily newspapers of the 
[outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party] PKK are being published. These should not 
be allowed".

Acting after the statement, the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office examined 
the October 26, 27, 30 and 31 issues of the daily together with its November 
1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14 and 15, 2006 issues.

It concluded that in 13 issues the newspapers had conducted propaganda for 
the PKK-Kongra Gel organization "praising the offenses of the terrorist 
organization and praising the offenders".

It's application to the Istanbul 10th High Criminal Court to suspend the 
newspaper from print for 15 days was accepted in the November 16 verdict of 
the court.

Agar's remarks dangerous too

According to the Istanbul court, the newspaper had committed the offence of 
publicly inciting the commitment of an offense, praising offenses and 
conducting propaganda for a terror organization.

One of the issues the court cited as example included statements made by 
opposition True Path Party leader Mehmet Agar made to the "Haber Turk" 
television.

"Great blow to democratization"

Firat recalled that this was the second time the newspaper was being closed 
down since August 2006 and said "the decision taken on our newspaper is a
great blow to the democratization process in Turkey"."Gen. Yasar Buyukanit 
sees the right in himself to intervene in everything in Turkey in the recent 
times. Last he had shown our newspaper as a target and said it should not be 
allowed to publish. How else can this verdict be seen?"

According to Firat, the suspension decision is a open sign that "there is no 
law or democracy" in Turkey and that the military authority is above 
everything in the country.

"The military authority determines Turkey's agenda" he said. "We, on the 
other hand, base ourselves on a publishing policy of civilianization that 
will develop democratization. In this framework we stress that principle 
problems, with the Kurdish problem at top of the list, can be solved. But as 
in every other issue, they will not allow this in a country where military 
methods and authority are ruling".

600 cases against the newspaper

From its date of first print on March 1, 2004 until November 16, 2006, more 
than 600 cases have been filed against the newspaper and its workers out of 
which 128 have been concluded. The newspaper was acquitted in 11 cases. Many 
of its editors have been sentenced to compensation while its editor in chief 
Hasan Bayar was also sentenced to 70 months imprisonment.

Paper targeted in public statements

19 July 2005: Chief of General Staff Deputy Commander Ilker Basbug delivered 
a 3 hour long briefing to journalists influential in the Turkish media where 
he accused Ozgur Gundem of being on the side of the separatist organization 
and said "necessary measures should be taken to prevent its distribution".

11 June 2006: Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek delivered a speech at the 
general assembly of the Journalists Association and openly showed Ulkede 
Ozgur Gundem as a target, referring to it as "rubbish" and adding "this 
newspaper has to be stopped".

10 November 2006: Chief of General Staff Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit made 
the quoted statement against the newspaper which, after 6 days, led to this
new closure.

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