Cüneyt Özdemir, a young and promising journalist, said the biggest threat faced by journalists during the Feb. 28 postmodern coup in Turkey was losing their jobs if they flout a ban on their entering military facilities and housing complexes.
Talking about the military pressure on the media, Özdemir said when he was working with veteran journalist Mehmet Ali Birand for the 32. Gün (32nd Day) program during the Feb. 28 postmodern coup in 1997 -- when the military ousted a coalition government led by the Islamic-leaning Welfare Party (RP) -- Birand had an argument with then Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Çevik Bir, which led the military to prepare a document classifying journalists as either anti-Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) or pro-TSK.
In 2007, the now-defunct weekly Nokta unearthed a secret military document that revealed the military practice of grading newspapers and journalists according to the news they published about the TSK, labeling them as for or against the TSK. According to the document, the military gave accreditation to newspapers and correspondents with good grades while barring the rest from participating in military press events, such as news briefings.
“The biggest threat faced by journalists of the time was being barred from military facilities and military housing complexes. Entering would mean getting fired from the media outlet you were working for. As a matter of fact, Birand was fired,” Özdemir said.
The relationship between the TSK and the media has been a problematic one, as the military applies strict rules of accreditation to some journalists and newspapers, preventing them from attending military news conferences or events. Although this practice has eased over the past years, the Turkish military is still criticized for restricting freedom of the press.
In the interview Özdemir also talked about his views on the Ergenekon case, in which hundreds of suspects, including academics, journalists and retired generals, are standing trial on charges of plotting to topple the government.
He said when the Ergenekon investigation began in 2007, he was hopeful that the case would bring everyone who made coup plans before the court. However, when individuals that he could not even imagine making coup plans were charged with being members of this organization and the suspects were kept in jail for years while on trial, he lost some faith in the case.
“These [Ergenekon] guys even planned to kill [Nobel laureate] Orhan Pamuk. The killing of [Turkish-Armenian journalist] Hrant Dink [in 2007] is to a certain extent the result of the atmosphere created by these people. I find the case very positive from that perspective. The Ergenekon case has shown us that a certain style of thinking can be punished in Turkey. Today, I can say that I give 50 percent support to this case. I had more faith in it three years ago. Now, I think the case has expanded too far,” said Özdemir.
Ergenekon hearings have been taking place since October 2008. Critics of the case argue that the trial is taking longer than necessary, forcing suspects to spend more time in custody than they would otherwise have to. In the interview, Özdemir also focused on the end of his friendship with owner of the Odatv website Yalçın, who was jailed in February with two colleagues as part of the Ergenekon case. “We parted ways due to Turkey’s realities to some extent, and ideological reasons played a role in our relationship’s deterioration. We were working together, but it became impossible for us to continue. We got so we were unable to speak to each other, so we parted ways. There was not actually a major reason. I do not want to go into much detail,” he said.
Regarding his meeting with Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen with a group of journalists in Pennsylvania earlier this year, Özdemir said he was very impressed to see Gülen leading a very moderate life, although he has millions of followers around the world. Özdemir said that after he returned to Turkey, he faced demoralizing attacks, particularly from secular circles, due to his meeting with Gülen. “They labeled me a Gülenist and said I was just taking advantage of free trips. I could not believe how many accusatory articles were written about me. I was not expecting such a reaction. What happened next? I just stopped caring about the reactions. I gave them no credit,” said Özdemir.
Published on Sunday's Zaman, 02 October 2011, Sunday
