ISTANBUL - Speaking at the commemoration held on the 26th anniversary of the bombing of Özgür Ülke newspaper, Yeni Yaşam Newspaper Editor in Chief Mehmet Ferhat Çelik said, "No matter what price we pay, we will not stand back to write the truth, only the truth. At the end of the day, everyone will be remembered with what they did. We will be remembered with resistance and they will be remembered with their murders."

 

Yeni Yaşam Newspaper members held a commemoration in front of the old newspaper building in Kadırga, Istanbul, on the 26th anniversary of the bombing of Özgür Ülke newspaper. Mesopotamia Women Journalists’ Platform (MKGP), Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MP Hüda Kaya, HDP Central Executive Board member Ferhat Encü, Human Rights Association (IHD) Co-Chair Eren Keskin, HDP Istanbul Provincial Co-chair Elif Bulut and many journalists attended the commemoration of the Özgür Ülke newspaper worker Ersin Yıldız who died in the incident.

 

During the statement, the banners reading, "Free Press cannot be Silenced" and "This fire will also burn you" were carried.

 

'Tansu Çiller gave the order'

 

Firstly Zekine Türkeri, one of the correspondents of Özgür Ülke newspaper, spoke at the commemoration and she said, "Our friend Ersin lost his life as a result of the bomb exploded here, many of our friends were injured. Tansu Çiller gave the order for this attack. The aim was to cause more damage. But they didn't achieve their goal. Today this newspaper and its successors go on their way. By saying, "That fire will burn you", we actually mean this: As long as the Kurdish question is not resolved peacefully, everyone will suffer and burn in some way. This country is subjected to this fascism and this confirms it. But as Kurds, we have hope. We will continue to struggle.”

 

After her speech, a minute of silence was observed for Ersin Yıldız, who lost his life in the massacre.

 

'They attacked'

 

Reading the press statement, Yeni Yaşam Newspaper Editor in Chief Mehmet Ferhat Çelik stated that they were there 26 years ago and said, "We were with full of anger and pain in front of the ruins of our building that was like a white seagull. Perhaps only because of the strength of the building, many of our friends survived from the attempted massacre, but our friend Ersin Yıldız died. We are talking about the date of December 3, 1994. We are talking about the day when all the Özgür Ülke newspaper's buildings in Ankara and Istanbul were bombed at the same time. The newspaper was wanted to be 'annihilate' by Tansu Çiller's (ex-president) secret labeled order. Actually, nothing was a secret. We lived in the days when dozens of journalists and distributors, especially Apê Musa, were killed in the streets every day. They did everything openly, clearly targeted and attacked. So on the morning of December 3, we were painful, angry, but not surprised. We knew why they attacked us, the reasons of those bombs, and that's why we all had one sentence to say: This newspaper will be published tomorrow! And it was published! With the efforts and solidarity of our friends and many unnamed heroes who surrounded us, we had our newspaper in our hands the next day and the headline was: This fire will also burn you.''

 

'We did not forget 3rd of December'

 

Emphasizing that a quarter of a century has passed since the explosion, Ferhat said, "In the future, historians will probably see this period as the bloodiest period in the history of this wounded geography when they look at the past 26 years. But 26 years are not only full of the horrible massacres but also full of a great resistance. As the free press, we have been witnesses and defendants of all that has happened for so many years. We have never forgotten third of December, we built not fear, but perseverance and courage from the ruins of that building. Some of those responsible for that bad period have already left our world. Some of them who are still alive are looking for gaining interest from the current government, while others are trying to frighten the people by taking pictures of mafia figures in coastal cities.’’

 

"We will be remembered with resistance"

 

Emphasizing that they are together again despite all the pressures, Ferhat added: "We are here. It doesn't matter it is rainy, muddy, snowy or sunny. We are here. We were in Newroz square when Kemal was shot; we were in Roboski when the children were bombed. Wherever a curtain covers the truth, our job is to tear it to show the truth and we have always done our job. We have paid whatever the price is, and we continue to pay it. Like a relay race, our cameras and pens are carried in hand to another. Children who were not born on December 3, 1994 are now covering news in every corner of the geography.

 

Here, once again, we promise Ersin and all of our press martyrs: we will not bow and fold, we will be straight. We will not stand back to write the truth, only the truth at whatever the price we pay. At the end of the day, everyone will be remembered with what they did. We will be remembered with resistance, and they will be remembered with their murders ... We salute our free press martyrs once again. Their memories light our way.”

 

'The Grey Wolves is the biggest crime organization'

 

IHD Co-Chairperson Eren Keskin said she was the lawyer of the newspaper at that time. Expressing that rights violations decisions against the opponents in this geography are taken by the special warfare office, Eren said, "The actions are carried out by their gunmen organizations. The biggest crime organization in this country is the Grey Wolves (ultra-nationalist right-wing Turkish group). Today you can read in the books about how the Özgür Ülke building was bombed. Those who took this decision took the decisions of all the killing actions against the opponents in this country. They do not want the Kurdish question to be resolved. What do they say? ‘Come down from the mountain, do politics.’ Today, all Kurdish politicians are in prison. Blocking politics means they want war.”

 

Following the statements, journalists commemorated journalist Ersin and put carnations in front of the bombed building.

 

Journalists then left the area to visit Ersin's grave in Yeşilpınar.