ISTANBUL - Speaking at the commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the bombing of Özgür Ülke newspaper, Yeni Yaşam newspaper editor Reyhan Hacıoğlu said: "The perpetrators are clear ."

 

Yeni Yaşam Newspaper, Mesopotamia Women Journalists Association (MKG) and Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFG) are organizing a commemoration program in front of the old building of the newspaper in Kadırga on the anniversary of the bombing of Özgür Ülke newspaper on December 3, 1994. Many journalists' professional organization representatives attended the commemoration, where photographs of the murdered Ersin Yıldız were carried with the banner "Free press cannot be silenced". In addition, Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) Co-Spokesperson Cengiz Çiçek and many names from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP), Human Rights Association (İHD), Public Employees Unions Confederation (KESK) and Revolutionary Trade Unions Confederation (DİSK) were also included in the commemoration program. Slogans such as "Free press cannot be silenced", "Honor your martyr" and "Repression cannot intimidate us" were frequently chanted at the commemoration.

  

 'THE PERPETRATORS ARE CLEAR'

 

Reminding that newspaper employee Ersin Yıldız lost his life as a result of the attack at that time, Hacıoğlu said: "A complete massacre was planned in the attack. The perpetrators of the attack were obvious. They did not want to scare, but to 'eliminate'.The owners of the legacy of Apê Musa and Gurbetelli Ersöz have learned journalism over and over again, by paying a price and going through dungeons if necessary, and taught it to all of us, from those days until today."

 

'WE WILL NOT BEND'

 

Emphasizing that the attacks have continued changing form since then, Hacıoğlu continued as follows: "Today, dozens of our friends - from Abdurrahman to Dicle and Sedat - are in prison with their heads held high. But they neither sell their pens nor move an inch away from being servants of the truth because those who feed on the people and the truth will never disappear. We have proven this hundreds of times with our blood and our lives. And what you see is nothing yet. It is not that easy to get rid of us. Even if you imprison us a thousand times, shoot us a thousand times, we will still be in the image of a cruel mirror. We will stand in front of you at every corner and show you the pus-filled pus under your make-up, down to the smallest detail because we made a promise to our Ersin. We may be broken, but we will not bend."

 

'WE WILL NOT FORGET OUR FRIENDS'

 

Stating that Free Press was built on a great tradition, DFG CoChair Serdar Altan said: "We will not forget our friends who created these. We will not forget Ersin Yıldız. Once again, we condemn this attack. We say that everyone should continue this struggle arm in arm with the Free Press."

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