Reporters Without Borders Honors A

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: Arm The Spirit <ats at locust.cic.net>
Subject: Reporters Without Borders Honors A Turkish Journalist

From: AKIN <akin at kurdish.org>

PRESS RELEASE - WORLD/TURKEY

16 December 1996

Isik Yurtcu wins 1996 Reporters Sans Frontieres - Fondation de
France Prize

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontieres (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - In a 10 December 1996 press release, RSF reported
that the 1996 Reporters Sans Frontieres - Fondation de France
Prize had been awarded to the Turkish journalist Isik Yurtcu,
former editorial director of the pro-Kurdish daily "Ozgur Gundem",
who is currently serving a prison sentence. The presentation was
to take place on Tuesday 10 December 1996, 11:30, at the Espace
Electra, 6 rue Recamier 75007 Paris.

Isik Yurtcu was arrested in December 1994 and sentenced to 14
years and 10 months' imprisonment for offenses that included
"separatist propaganda" and "insulting the government." He is
currently being held at Sakarya prison, 150 km from Istanbul.

Launched in May 1992, "Ozgur Gundem" finally yielded to official
pressures and folded in April 1994. With a circulation of 30,000,
the Turkish-language daily "Ozgur Gundem" ("Free News") --
regarded by Kurdish activists as their "resistance" paper and by
the Turkish government as the mouthpiece of the "terrorists" of
the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) -- is memorable as the
pro-Kurdish newspaper of record.

Presented on 10 December, to mark the United Nations'
International Human Rights Day, the 50,000 franc (US$ 9,600) prize
has been awarded since 1992 to a journalist who, through her/his
professional activities, willingness to speak out or general
bearing, has demonstrated a commitment to press freedom.

The Reporters Sans Frontieres - Fondation de France Prize was
awarded in 1992 to the journalist Zlatko Dizdarevic, of the
Sarajevo daily "Oslobodenje", in 1993 to the Chinese journalist
Wang Juntao of the "Economic Weekly", in 1994 to the Rwandan
journalist Andre Sibomana, managing editor of the magazine
"Kinyamateka", and in 1995 to Chris Anyanwu, editor-in-chief of
the "Sunday Magazine", a Nigerian weekly.

Five other journalists were considered by the jury this year:
Salima Ghezali, managing editor of the weekly "La Nation"
(Algeria); Gao Yu, assistant editor of the "Economic Weekly"
(China); Ahmad Taufik, chairman of the Alliance of Independent
Journalists (Indonesia); Alfonso Castiglione, radio reporter
(Peru); and Ali Musa Abdi, journalist and columnist (Somalia).

Isik Yurtcu was born in January 1945 in Adana (southern Turkey)
into an ethnic Turkish family. In 1969 he began his career as a
reporter with the left-wing papers "Ulus" and "Yeni Halkci" in the
capital. After moving to Istanbul in the seventies, he achieved
his first editorial posts, still with the opposition press. The
titles for which he worked during this period were "Demokrat",
"Politika", "Dunya" and "Cumhuriyet". His articles were already
ruffling official feathers, and Isik Yurtcu received prison
sentences which were subsequently commuted to fines. After the
1971 coup, in "Yeni Halkci" he published accounts by political
prisoners who had been tortured in military jails. In 1974 he
supported the campaign for a general amnesty for political
prisoners. After the military takeover of September 1980, he was
arrested for being one of the signatories of an "appeal by
intellectuals" criticizing the coup. In 1982 he was held for a
short time for his membership of the executive of a newspaper
workers' union.

Numerous former colleagues are unstinting in their praise of the
man they refer to affectionately as "Isik Baba" ("Uncle Isik").
"The first time I met him," recounted Ramazan Ulek, one-time chief
editor of "Ozgur Gundem", "was before the launching of the paper.
He helped us to define an editorial line, bearing in mind that we
had very little experience. His skills made him a natural choice
for the post of managing editor. And when we asked him to take it,
he accepted without hesitation." That was in June 1992. Eight
months later he resigned, being a defendant in no fewer than 26
press trials.

On 28 December 1994, just after taking retirement, Isik Yurtcu was
arrested and imprisoned. He may not be freed until 2009.

Over five days -- from Tuesday 10 December to Saturday 14 December
-- RSF raised awareness about the case through the pages of the
French daily "Liberation". RSF took out five full pages of the
daily as a testament to the resilience of the organization and its
fight for the forgotten. From day to day, an image of Isik
Yurtcu's face disappeared gradually, leaving a black page on the
fifth day. Everyday, RSF asked "Liberation" readers to write to
Turkish President Suleyman Demirel urging the release of Isik
Yurtcu. The DDB ad agency came up with the campaign, which was
donated to RSF by the former director-general of "Liberation",
Jean-Louis Peninou.

For further information, contact Chantal de Casabianca at RSF, 5,
rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel:+33 1 44 83 84 84,
fax:+33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: rsf at calvanet.calvacom.fr, Internet:
http://www.calvacom.fr/rsf/.

The information contained in this press release is the sole
responsibility of RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit RSF.
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