ANKARA - Making a statement regarding the Murdered Journalists Day, HDP Press and Propaganda Vice Co-Chair Tayip Temel said: "We stand with the journalists who defend the interests of the people, not the rulers."

 

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair for Press and Propaganda, Tayip Temel, issued a written statement on the occasion of April 6, the Day of Murdered Journalists. In the statement made both in Turkish and Kurdish, Temel said: "We stand with the journalists who defend the interests of the people, not the rulers. We bow respectfully before the memories of all journalists killed from Hasan Fehmi to Metin Göktepe, from Gurbetelli Ersöz to Hrant Dink, from Musa Anter to Abdi İpekçi."

 

'JOURNALISTS ARE STILL UNDER THE THREAT OF MURDER'

 

The statement made with the title 'We commemorate the murdered journalists with respect' is as follows: "Today is the anniversary of the murder of journalist Hasan Fehmi who was murdered on April 6, 1909. 112 years have passed since the assasination of Fehmi. 25 years have passed since today was declared the day of the murdered journalists. Nothing have changed in Turkey since then for the journalists.Journalists are still being murdered for expressing their opinions and revealing the facts. 

 

ITS THE NATURE OF JOURNALISM TO QUESTION

 

It's the nature of a journalist to question things. A journalist follows that question and that path leads to the dirty relations of the rulers, the dark plans of the gangs and the mafia. The path that journalists follow can disturb those who hold the power and sieze their perfect plan by the throat. This is what a journalist does. To disturb some politicians, bureaucrats, gangs, mafias, putschists, misogynists, racists, and protect the public interest.

 

That is why stakeholders inside and outside the government do not like journalists who subverts their plan. They are so passionate about their unjust power that they do not refrain from killing journalists. Just as it is in Turkey. The government in Turkey does not want the journalists to be free. In fact, they do not want journalism in this country. Because they have a lot to hide. They are targeting journalists to keep their dirty secrets hidden. And even that doesn't quench their anger towards them. They want the journalists to protect their interests, not the people's.

 

WE STAND WITH THE JOURNALISTS

 

But it won't be like that. Despite all the pressure, the risk to get killed, the risk to get arrested, to be abducted, journalists continue to write the facts.  Journalists continue to write about torture, corruption, deep and dirty relationships of the rulers, interference with the judiciary, blows to the democratic will and more. We stand with the journalists who defend the interests of the people, not the rulers. We bow respectfully before the memories of all murdered journalists from Hasan Fehmi to Metin Göktepe, from Gurbetelli Ersöz to Hrant Dink, from Musa Anter to Abdi İpekçi."