TEXT-Turkey's media mogul Aydin Dogan's statement
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Here is the full text of the Dogan Group's owner Aydin Dogan's statement as a response to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's accusations.
I listened to the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s speech in amazement.
I not only listened with dismay but also with a deep concern for the future of the freedom of press in
I follow the reports regarding the Deniz Feneri case from newspapers and television channels.
What happened in this incident?
A charity, founded on the purpose of collecting humanitarian aid, has transferred the donated funds to some individuals via certain companies.
Of course this is a very important incident.
The organizations providing humanitarian unity and aid have a responsibility in this day and age.
In my point of view, exploiting society’s sense of charity is the biggest sin.
Because, you deeply harm humanity when you crush this emotion and destroy the trust in the individuals and constitutions in need of aid.
Who made this incident to public?
The German police and authorities?
Who rules in the case?
The German judiciary.
----
This statement has been recorded in the account of proceedings.
Who is making this statement?
The leader of the main opposition party.
Where is the statement being made?
In a live television broadcast.
Let me reiterate.
The indictment was issued by a German prosecutor.
The indictment was made public in
The broadcast was aired by NTV channel.
You tell me; where am I in this picture?
I look at my newspapers, all of them made direct reference to Deniz Baykal.
The prime minister puts pressure on us.
Doubtless they wanted to silence us with this approach.
The government controls all bodies of the state.
They can undertake any unjust act towards us.
The wrong-doing is already being carried out and they will continue.
However, the efforts of the prime minister to restrict freedom of the press will be recorded in history not on the pages of democracy, but in the pages of dictatorship.
The prime minister continues to cite the Hilton Hotel example.
I am not the source of the indictment, yet the prime minister persists on seeking answers from me.
He says, "If the charges in the indictment are disproved, I will label you corrupt."
I reached this point in my life without sacrificing my morals and my honor.
I can account for my morality both in this world and in the life to come.
There is also another point of which I am ashamed to mention.
The prime minister brings the Hilton issue to the table whenever he sees reports in the newspapers which he don’t like.
I state this to him clearly:
It is the role of state authorities to reject any demand I made regarding the Hilton if it is against the rule of law.
But it is also crime if he is not fulfilling my rightful demand as a citizen.
Turkish legislative acts do not give the prime minister the right to commit a crime.
I am also wondering:
Why is the prime minister so interested in the Hilton issue?
I thought the Hilton issue fell within the realm of the
Or has the administration of the
As he continually mentioned the Hilton at every opportunity, I can conclude that he raised this issue as an instrument of blackmail.
Blackmail is not an act that befits prime ministers.
It is also a crime.
From my perspective, the serious aspect of this speech is the clear emergence of a strong threat to freedom of press.
Our prime minister does not like being criticized.
He may not.
But he does not have the right to turn it into an instrument of blackmail, using the power in his hand.
According to me, this behavior is a serious constitutional crime.
Because our constitution guarantees freedom of the press.
According to me, his speech on Sunday is the most tangible sign that a very dangerous era has begun in the history of the Turkish press.
They have done their best to suppress the media until now. It is understood that this pressure will grow stronger.
That is what I would say.