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MURDERERS SHOULD NOT BE HEROISE

LETTER OF SÜLEYMAN ÇELEBI, ABOUT THE RELEASE OF MEHMET ALI AĞCA

“MURDERERS SHOULD NOT BE HEROISE”

The Military Coup of 12th September, 1980 has been the greatest catastrophe Turkey ever met. In the formation of current unlawfulness, inequalities and the alienated masses towards the social issues, the repressive, authoritarian and militarist rule of 1980 Junta has great influence upon.

It is for sure that the road to Military Coup has been planned by organizing many provocations and shady operations. While mass provocations such as the 1st of May 1977 pogrom, ethnic oriented mass killings carried out in Çorum, Kahramanmaraş and Sivas and bombing the Law Faculty of Istanbul University on 16th March 1978 were being organized on one hand, on the other, the society was attempted to be repressed by political murders committed against the opinion leaders, academicians, journalists and intellectuals.

It has now been so clear that the total of all these political murders had been planned to create the background conditions of 1980 Coup. Even the launcher of The Coup, Kenan Evren, The General, has confessed that all these above mentioned chain of events created the legal basis for The Coup.

One of the most significant among these political murders is the one committed against Abdi İpekçi, who formerly held the posts as the President of Journalists UNION of Turkey, The President of Press Institute of Turkey, The Vice President of Journalists Association of İstanbul and International Press Institute, The General Secretary to The Press Honorary Council and who also frequently emphasized peace, freedom of speech and independence of the country in his articles. What is striking and noteworthy is that Abdi İpekçi had been murdered by Mehmet Ali Ağca on 1st February, 1979.

While Mehmet Ali Ağca was being judged by death penalty in relation to the İpekçi’s murder, on the date 1979 he somehow was able to run away from Maltepe Military Prison where he was being kept and which was one of the best guarded prisons of the country. He therefore was helped to go abroad.

Yes, whom we have been talking about is the man who attempted to commit an assassination against The Pope Jean Paul 2nd in Vatican City, was finally captured, put into prison in Italy, then brought to Turkey and is about to complete his prison penalty and is being welcomed as a hero with his frequent appearances on TV channels and the newspapers, namely Mehmet Ali Ağca.

Mehmet Ali Ağca is a murderer and an actor of political assassinations!

The crime he committed had been conducted as to create the means for 12th September Military Coup, which is one of the grounds for current unlawfulness existing in Turkey. Mehmet Ali Ağca, who is keeping his dark relations still as a secret and unwilling to exposure the details behind, is being prepared to get into the society.

We as DİSK have been monitoring the case in great fury, astonishment and worry that there are preparations to make interviews with him, take the legal rights to publish his memoires within an enthusiastic calculation of ratings. If, what he is going to reveal is his dark relations and the powers behind, there is no problem at all. However, to present a political murderer to the society as a prominent hero by destroying the historical facts, being in an attempt to make him as a role model in the eyes of the youth, to create more Ogün Samast, who murdered one of your colleagues, Hrant Dink is both a serious irresponsibility towards the society and injustice against Abdi İpekçi.

Turkey is passing through a critical process. Societal touchiness has been at its utmost level. Ethnic/political lynch culture has been expanding both on individual and massive accounts. During such a process, attempting to create such heroes is just like to add fuel to the fire, isn’t it?

We consider sharing and exchanging our worries on this issue necessary in terms of our understanding of democracy for which we have paid all the costs and also of our faith and will in an enlightened Turkey.

We strongly believe that you will also approve our worries and will not take the responsibility of being in an effort to create a hero out of a political murderer driven by secret forces who led the whole society into the 12th September darkness.

Hereby, we convey our sorrows and worries to you as a Workers’ UNION Confederation, whose President, namely Kemal Türkler, was murdered just before the Military Coup of 1980, whose Organization  dissolved, whose 600 thousand members were scattered, whose 2500 members were subject to torture and had undergone trial, whose Executive Board were put into prison and judged by death penalty, however, couldn’t be found guilty and were acquitted and which is still in struggle for trade UNIONism.

We wish you success in your efforts.
 

Best regards,

Süleyman Çelebi
President

* The open letter of Mr. Süleyman Çelebi, The President of DİSK, on the efforts for creating a hero out of the murderer Mehmet Ali Ağca, addressed to the National and International Media Organizations, ITUC, ETUC and International Journalist Organisations.

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