Several Swedish MPs have applied to the Nobel Peace Committee with the proposal to give the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to famous Turkish human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu.<\/p>\n
As the Turkish Evrensel website informs, the Swedish MPs mentioned in their proposal that Zarakolu published materials on the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish issue which are taboos in Turkey.<\/p>\n
He has been sentenced for that publications several times.<\/p>\n
One month ago Zarakolu has sent a letter to the Turkish parliament calling them to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.<\/p>\n
\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056a\u0093Yes, Turkey must face its history. It is not only an obligation towards the victims but also a duty for securing healthy way of thinking for the society. The acknowledgement of the genocide will not belittle Turkey but will strengthen it,\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0539\u009d Zarakolu wrote.
\n
\nRAGIP ZARAKOLU (Writer, publisher and human rights activist)<\/p>\n
Sent by the Committee for Solidarity with Zarakolu
\n<\/big><\/p>\n
Born in 1948 on B\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536y\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536kada. He graduated from the School of Economics of the \u0569\u0084\u0539\u055bstanbul University after his primary and secondary educations in Selim S\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055err\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055e Tarcan Primary School (Ni\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534anta\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055e), F\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055end\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055ekl\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055e and Kabata\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534 High Schools. He got a master\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s degree in the same school. He was obliged to discontinue his doctorate twice because of a military coup of 1971 and Prof. Dr. Cahit Orhan T\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536tengil\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s having murdered by paramilitary forces. <\/big><\/p>\n
In 1971, Zarakolu was tried in the \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056d\u009cSadi Alk\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055el\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055e\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00ab\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 case (as the first amnesty campaign in Turkey) on charges of secret relations to Amnesty International\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 with several intellectuals such as Prof. Azra Erhat who has translated Homeros from Greek; Criminal Law Professor \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u2741etin \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u0093zek; Pianist Magdelana Rufer; Vedat G\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536nyol and Sebahattin Ey\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536bo\u0569\u0084\u056a\u0534lu who were pioneers of Humanism in Turkey; journalists Osman Arolat ve Ayd\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055en Engin; Tilda G\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0533k\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00abeli who is wife of Ya\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534ar Kemal; youth leaders Harun Karadeniz and Masis K\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536r\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00ab\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536gil; speaker Erdal Boratap; Dr. Nihat Sarg\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055en who was one of leaders of T\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055bP (Turkey\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s Workers\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7 Party). Why those persons league together is their correspondence with Selma Ashwird from Amnesty International. This fictitious case collapsed, but, during trials, \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u2741etin \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u0093zek had a nervous break down in Harbiye cells and Sebahattin Ey\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536bo\u0569\u0084\u056a\u0534lu (who has been chairman of the National Education Ministry Translation Board organizing translations of the world\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 classics to Turkish in 1940\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s, and charged of sending Tolstoy\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s War and Peace to Naz\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055em Hikmet who has been in prison in 1945) was died from heart attack. Zarakolu spent five months in prison, before the charges were dropped. But, in 1972, he was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment for his article in the journal Ant on Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War. This was a price of protesting the\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 Vietnam War by courts martial. He stayed in Selimiye Prison and was released in 1974 following a general amnesty. He wanted to continue his doctorate abroad, but he could not take passport. In 1977, Zarakolu and his wife established Belge Publishing House in Istanbul. First case was brought against him for his translation of Oskar Lange\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s The Role of the State in Monopoly Capitalism. And charges brought against the couple resulted in imprisonment for both Ay\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534enur and Rag\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055ep Zarakolu, the wholesale confiscation and destruction of books and the imposition of heavy fines.<\/big><\/p>\n
In 1979, Zarakolu founded the daily newspaper Demokrat with 36 intellectuals and writers and took responsibility for the news desk on foreign affairs. The paper was banned with the military coup of 12 September 1980 and Rag\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055ep Zarakolu was shortly imprisoned in 1982 in connection with this position in Demokrat; this case ended 8 years later. He was banned from leaving the country between 1971 and 1991.<\/big><\/p>\n
In 1981,\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 Zarakolu established Alternatif Publishing House and started to publish \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u056a\u0093L\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7etat Monde\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0539\u009d annuals. In 1982, he founded Alan Publishing House with Emil Galip Sandalc\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055e and Arslan Ba\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534er Kafao\u0569\u0084\u056a\u0534lu. <\/big><\/p>\n
In 1986, he became one of 98 founders of the Human Rights Association in Turkey with many intellectuals such as Emil Galip, Aziz Nesin, Murat Belge, Prof. Nuri Karacan, Ak\u0569\u0084\u0539\u055en Birdal. He himself took part in establishing its \u0569\u0084\u0539\u055bstanbul branch and participated in the international rights congresses and forums in Madrid, Marseille, Cairo, Valette, Paris (during the 50th Anniversary of Human Rights Declaration) and Vienna. He went to Britain and North Irland to study the detention conditions. In 1987, he became one of founders of the Turkey Social History Foundation. <\/big><\/p>\n
During 1980\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s, in Belge, Zarakolu began to turn his attention to history of the left, abuses of human rights by governments in South America and elsewhere, basic human rights documents, alternative history.\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 He confronted many cases owing to his published books. Afterwards Belge published a series of books written by political prisoners. The series of 35 books consisted of poems, shorts stories, novels. The list of publications include many books (translations) of Greek literature and on the Armenian Question, including George Jerjian’s The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and Turks Reconciled, Professor Dora Sakayan’s An Armenian Doctor in Turkey: Garabed Hatcherian: My Smyrna Ordeal of 1922 \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0080\u009dwhich brought new criminal charges in 2005 and David Gaunt’s book Massacres, Resistance, Protectors, and on the Jews in Turkey.\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 There are also a number of books dealing with the Kurds in Turkey. Belge also brought the subject of Pontos, another tatoo, up for discussion, published the books about population exchange for the first time in Turkey and took up comprehensively the themes such as torture, losses, forced migration, freedom of though. In 1995, Belge Publishing House office was firebombed by a far right group, forcing it to be housed in a cellar. <\/big><\/p>\n
Also court cases against Zarakolu and Belge include one for publishing the HRW report showing the infringements of war law. On the other hand,\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 Belge published the international reports concerning the Police Reform, the independence of judiciary in Turkey during 1990\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s and early 2000\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s. The cost of all efforts was the banning of more than 40 books and the imprisonment of his wife for 2 years. In 1980\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s, for Zarakolu\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7s wife who was the owner of Belge has been imprisoned; bad imprisonment conditions caused a kidney disease resulting in late diagnosis of her cancer and her consequential death at 56. <\/big><\/p>\n
On the other side, the Human Rights Association is trying to call attention to the situation of writers, intellectuals and journalists who were on trial due to their thoughts by granting an award of freedom of thought each year under the name of Ay\u0569\u0085\u056a\u0534enur Zarakolu Award. Those awarded included Hrant Dink. <\/big><\/p>\n
Zarakolu is writing articles on the opposing press since 1969, but he is still deprive of professional yellow press card. Since 1991, he is writing on the newspaper \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u0093zg\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536r G\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536ndem giving voice to the Kurdish Question under the heaviest conditions and became editor-in-chief of this newspaper time to time for solidarity. He is writing for the newspapers Evrensel, Birg\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0536n, Radikal and Taraf from time to time. He is also columnist of the newspaper Evrensel. <\/big><\/p>\n
Zarakolu and his wife raised two children within this hullabaloo, Deniz and Sinan. Deniz who is essentially civil engineer is one of the editors at the Belge Publishing House and a Ph.D. student at Bilgi University; his doctorate left half finished due to his arrest like his father. Sinan is architect and musician. <\/big><\/p>\n
Zarakolu, in 2004, married a photograph artist Katherine Holle. Thus, to his family, two children added : \u0569\u0085\u056a\u0537eref who is a graduate of the New York University and having medical education;\u0569\u0082\u0539\u00a0 and Zerrin who is a student of the New York Bard College. (cetinoglus@gmail.com)
\n<\/big><\/p>\n
Zarakolu dans une lettre de <\/a>campagne adress\u0569\u0083\u0539.e \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 Sarkozy<\/big><\/big> “Je me permets de vous adresser ce courrier suite \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7adoption, le 23 janvier 2012, de la loi sanctionnant la p\u0569\u0083\u0539.nalisation des g\u0569\u0083\u0539.nocides reconnus par la France. Notre immense soulagement a \u0569\u0083\u0539.t\u0569\u0083\u0539. de courte dur\u0569\u0083\u0539.e puisque le Conseil Constitutionnel a \u0569\u0083\u0539.t\u0569\u0083\u0539. saisi par des parlementaires de tous bords pour faire invalider cette loi.<\/p>\n “Citoyen(ne) de cette R\u0569\u0083\u0539.publique fran\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00abaise des droits de l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7homme, j\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7en appelle \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 vous afin que vous preniez les mesures qui s\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7imposent, car vous seul \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0080\u009c ou votre gouvernement – \u0569\u0083\u0539\u055dtes habilit\u0569\u0083\u0539. \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 d\u0569\u0083\u0539.fendre, devant le Conseil constitutionnel, la loi p\u0569\u0083\u0539.nalisant la n\u0569\u0083\u0539.gation des g\u0569\u0083\u0539.nocides et \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 faire obstacle \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 ceux qui, de facto, pr\u0569\u0083\u0539.f\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2014rent prot\u0569\u0083\u0539.ger l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7Etat turc plut\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0532t que leurs propres concitoyens.<\/p>\n “L\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7acharnement de certains parlementaires fran\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00abais est d\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7autant plus malvenu qu\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7il r\u0569\u0083\u0539.pond \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 une demande de l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7ambassadeur de Turquie en France, adress\u0569\u0083\u0539.e aux opposants \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 la loi. Cette ing\u0569\u0083\u0539.rence repr\u0569\u0083\u0539.sente une violation du mandat de tout diplomate \u0569\u0083\u0539.tranger et porte atteinte aux conditions essentielles de la souverainet\u0569\u0083\u0539. nationale.<\/p>\n “J\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7apprends que si la loi venait \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 \u0569\u0083\u0539\u055dtre invalid\u0569\u0083\u0539.e vous d\u0569\u0083\u0539.poseriez dans les plus brefs d\u0569\u0083\u0539.lais un nouveau texte de loi. Cela vous honore, mais ce serait trop tard au vu du calendrier parlementaire de cette ann\u0569\u0083\u0539.e \u0569\u0083\u0539.lectorale. La presse turque se gausse de vos r\u0569\u0083\u0539.actions en faisant r\u0569\u0083\u0539.f\u0569\u0083\u0539.rence \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 un message que vous auriez envoy\u0569\u0083\u0539. au Premier ministre Erdogan apr\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2014s le vote de la loi, lui signalant que vous aviez 15 jours pour la promulguer. Ce qui, selon les observateurs turcs, signifie : \u0569\u0082\u0539, Je vous donne une chance de convaincre les politiques fran\u0569\u0083\u0539\u00abais. \u0569\u0082\u0539\u0565 (HDN du 02\/02\/12).<\/p>\n “Il me para\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2026trait assez incroyable qu\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7apr\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2014s vos engagements forts en faveur d\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7une loi p\u0569\u0083\u0539.nalisant un n\u0569\u0083\u0539.gationnisme odieux, diligent\u0569\u0083\u0539. sur les territoires de la R\u0569\u0083\u0539.publique par un Etat tiers, vous ayez finalement c\u0569\u0083\u0539.d\u0569\u0083\u0539. aux pressions et manipulations n\u0569\u0083\u0539.gationnistes : cela reviendrait \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 encourager, en France, la contestation de tous les g\u0569\u0083\u0539.nocides et de mettre en p\u0569\u0083\u0539.ril la Loi Gayssot, comme vous l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7avez soulign\u0569\u0083\u0539. \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 juste titre.<\/p>\n “Le premier ministre turc, M. Erdogan, a fait preuve depuis d\u0569\u0083\u0539.cembre 2011, d\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7une grossi\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2014ret\u0569\u0083\u0539. indicible \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7encontre de votre p\u0569\u0083\u0539\u2014re, de vous-m\u0569\u0083\u0539\u055dme, et de la France. Que celle-ci s\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7abaisse devant l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7arrogance d\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7un \u0569\u0083\u0549\u0080\u055btat n\u0569\u0083\u0539.gationniste serait tout simplement impensable. Sans compter que cette d\u0569\u0083\u0539.mission porterait un coup terrible \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 tous les d\u0569\u0083\u0539.mocrates turcs qui se sont engag\u0569\u0083\u0539.s \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0080\u009c au p\u0569\u0083\u0539.ril de leur vie \u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0080\u009c en faveur de la loi, seule garante, selon eux, d\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7une d\u0569\u0083\u0539.mocratisation de la Turquie.<\/p>\n “A l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7heure o\u0569\u0083\u0539\u0564 l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7on apprend que l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7\u0569\u0083\u0539.diteur Ragip Zarakolu, qui du fond de sa prison turque a soutenu ce texte, est officiellement candidat pour le Prix Nobel de la Paix, je vous adjure de tenir vos promesses et de contribuer \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 redonner \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 la France la place qu\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7elle a toujours tenue dans le combat contre l\u0569\u00a7\u0549\u0082-\u0549\u0084\u00a7oppression.”<\/p>\n Le Collectif VAN appelle ses lecteurs \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 adresser cette lettre \u0569\u0083\u0539\u00a0 l’Elys\u0569\u0083\u0539.e<\/big><\/p>\n <\/big><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Several Swedish MPs have applied to the Nobel Peace Committee with the proposal to give the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to famous Turkish human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu. As the Turkish Evrensel website informs, the […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9306,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9304\/revisions\/9306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aaeurop.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nLe Collectif VAN a pr\u0569\u0083\u0539.par\u0569\u0083\u0539. la lettre suivante au Pr\u0569\u0083\u0539.sident de la R\u0569\u0083\u0539.publique afin que le gouvernement de Nicolas Sarkozy d\u0569\u0083\u0539.fende, devant le Conseil Constitutionnel, la loi p\u0569\u0083\u0539.nalisant la n\u0569\u0083\u0539.gation des g\u0569\u0083\u0539.nocides et que le Pr\u0569\u0083\u0539.sident puisse la promulguer au plus vite.<\/p>\n