İSTANBUL
The Etkin news agency (ETHA) editor Deniz Bakır, whose office was raided by the fascist Turkish state on June 15, spoke to our Agency. Deniz explains that the people who demand freedom; the poor, the Kurds, the Alevis, women, labourers, and the media organs who represent this fraction, are under pressure and attacks of the government.
As you know, there is a constant pressure and censorship in the press in Turkey. Most recently there was an attack on your agency. How do you evaluate them?
“As you’ve touched upon, the well-established relationships between political power and press in Turkey actually established an issue of freedom. The press, which is a party to the oppressed, the poor, the Kurds, the Alevis, the women and the laborers who are a party to freedom, is now under pressure from the government. We see the attack on our agency as part of this.
As you know, Turkey’s political agenda has been ‘election’ based for a while now; with our rights to do real journalism, we are in favour of the unrepresented and poor. Etkin News Agency and Atilim newspaper are trying to convey the oppressed. On this basis, our articles are published, our newspaper comes out, our internet newspaper also tries to follow the various news and to reflect on the opinions and suggestions of the oppressed.
Deniz, who said that they have been exposed to a variety of attacks from media outlets, said: “From past to this day a lot of media organs that are exposed to a variety of attacks, the most well-known example is the bombardment to free agenda is the murder of the journalist and also their arrests, massacres and the latest detentions and raid attacks were the extensions of this.
Aslında bu saldırı da toplam saldırı konseptini saldırı sürecinin bir parçasıydı. Ancak biz bu güne kadar olduğu gibi bugün de saldırılara karşı hem dost basın kuruşlarıyla dayanışarak onların desteğiyle’de halklarımızın desteğiyle bir şekilde ayakta kalmaya devam ettik. Sonuçta biz ezilenlerin sesi izleyenleri tüketmedikleri süreci halklarımızın mücadelesi sürdüğü sürece onların bir parçası olarak bizim de mücadelemiz sürüyor.
In fact, this attack was also part of the total attack concept. However, as we have done so far, we have continued to survive the attacks with the support of our people and in solidarity with the friendly press organizations. As a result, as long as the struggle of our peoples continues, the struggle that the oppressed do not consume the voice followers continues as a part of them.”
Why does the AKP-MHP bloc attack the press so heavily?
“In fact, the relationship established by political powers with the press is a direct part of the relationship it establishes with freedom, as I mentioned at the beginning. The freer the press in a country, the more democratic and free the country: because different segments of the opposition have the right to be able to express themselves and to speak their own words.
Naturally, there is a society in which the culture of democracy develops. Turkey’s ruling reveals itself through the aggression and intolerance of opposition parties. In fact, they want to silence the press by attacking the press, trying to hide and eliminate the truth.
But there is a saying of our people: “The sun cannot be plastered with shoelaces.” They cannot hide these facts with attacks, this will reveal what they have hidden in another place. During the state of emergency, dozens of press were closed. They closed dozens of newspapers, but the oppressed somehow found their way and continued to express themselves, something that shows the political mentality.
A power that does not tolerate freedoms naturally tries to hide their faces by attacking the press organs that express their voice. They do not cover the facts, and somehow they find another way to conceal themselves.”
There is the pit media created by the AKP government. How do you work as freelance press employees?
“Of course, we work under very difficult conditions and the framework I tried to summarize points to this. We are faced with a series of attacks, from financial hardships and arrest attacks to economic attacks. To create news, the bourgeois press and the pit media can do whatever they want, while our friends have to pay and sacrifice a lot, to make news.
From the first day, all the free press employees conveyed our messages of solidarity. They worked with us, provided us with news support and I would also like to thank them and the friendly media organizations of all press workers. We are trying to survive with the solidarity of our people, there is no monopoly behind us, no state behind us, no political power behind us, we rely on the poor and oppressed.
We are the voice of the hidden truths, the oppressors will attack us as much as we want to express ourselves, will find ways to express ourselves, maybe we will be forced, maybe we will pay huge costs, so long as we are chasing the truth, we will face this with honour.
Finally, drawing attention to the solidarity, Deniz said “it is a really tough job, to be press in Turkey. We are facing a series of difficulties and I have just stated that this solidarity is the only way for us to survive and the solidarity of our people, the solidarity of other friendly press organizations, we need to increase this solidarity more, we need to solidify each other more.
I urge all our people, the oppressed, to further solidarity with both ETA and all free press institutions.”
NC/Aldar DİREN
