Metin Göktepe commemorated by his grave

  • actual
  • 15:42 8 January 2020
  • |
img

İSTANBUL - Evrensel Reporter Metin Göktepe was commemorated by his grave in the 24th year of his murder. Speaking by the side of his son's grave, mother Fadime Göktepe said: "Every journalist today is a Metin today."

Journalist Metin Göktepe, who was battered and beaten to death by police, has been commemorated on the 24th anniversary of his death.
 
24 years ago today (January 8), Metin Göktepe, a reporter for daily Evrensel at the time, went to Alibeyköy to follow the funeral of Orhan Özen and Rıza Boybaş, two inmates who were killed in Ümraniye Type E Prison in İstanbul. Göktepe was taken into custody here and beaten to death by the police after being taken to the Eyüp Indoors Sports Hall.
 
A commemoration ceremony was held for Metin Göktepe at his grave in Kemer Graveyard in Esenler at 11 a.m. today.
 
Along with his mother Fadime Göktepe, the ceremony was also attended by Saturday Mothers/People, Labor Party (EMEP) Chair Selma Gürkan, Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu, Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS) Chair Gökhan Durmuş, Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) Press Union Chair Faruk Eren, Evrensel Editor-in-Chief Fatih Polat, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu, Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Chair Battal Kılıç, DİSK Glass Ceramics Union Chair Birol Sarıkaş, EMEP members, EMEP Youth, Divriği Cultural Association members, several journalists, Göktepe family and several people.
 
While the workers of Evrensel newspaper laid carnations on Metin Göktepe's grave, people carried the banners "Release arrested journalists", "Journalism is not a crime" and chanted the slogans "Evrensel writes, Metin lives" and "Metin Göktepe is immortal".
 
Speaking at the commemoration, Editor-in-Chief of Evrensel newspaper Fatih Polat referred to the killing of Göktepe and the ensuing judicial process.
 
Reminding the audience that in Metin Göktepe's case, it was the first time that a defendant was given a prison sentence and served time behind bars, Fatih Polat stated the following in brief: "A serious legal struggle was waged in the judicial process. Turkey was toured around for almost one and a half times. Though we did not have our desired result in the end, it was still the first time that a defendant was convicted in a case filed into the death of a journalist.
 
"Each passing day, it is becoming more and more important to claim journalism. The press is under siege today as well, there are lawsuits of journalists everyday. There are journalists laying claim to the truth despite all this siege.
 
"When we look back, Metin Göktepe, Uğur Mumcu, Musa Anter, Hrant Dink and many of our colleagues that we have lost - once again - remind us of the importance of truth and laying claim to the people's right of information."
 
Speaking at the ceremony, RSF Representative to Turkey Erol Önderoğlu underlined that not only the dark clouds in the history of journalism, but also the joint struggle for journalism should be called to minds:
 
"Neither Turkey nor the world is a safe place for journalists. Today, it is of great importance to recall the exemplary solidarity displayed against the murderers of Metin. He will always remind us of the reality of this struggle."
 
Attending the commemoration ceremony, CHP İstanbul Provincial Organization Chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu stated the following in brief:
 
"Metin Göktepe was a journalist and there is journalism of Metin Göktepe. It was him who was doing the journalism 24 years ago; today, it is you who do it. Metin and many others like him were massacred because they tell the truths to the public. Telling the truths to the public had a price back then, it still has today. While we are once again commemorating Metin 24 years after he was massacred, the truths always shine from somewhere when you wage a struggle to tell them to the public. The journalists struggling in the person of Metin Göktepe keep facing us with the truth."

View More Articles

05/02/2020
15:15 Raqqa working on mass graves: 5,700 bodies recovered so far
14:46 Lawyers with ÇHD starts hunger strike
14:31 Court rules Güven's travel ban appropriate
12:47 The fine imposed on journalist Adnan Bilen approved
11:56 Kurdish Conference kicks off today at the European Parliament
11:55 Kurdish Language Platform visits HDP
11:23 Mazlum Çimen: No amnesty to crime against humanity
10:02 Lavrov: We have information indicating Turkey is sending troops to Idlib
09:48 Yüksekova Mayor Yaşar released and arrested again
09:45 18 people buried by avalanche in Van countryside
04/02/2020
17:34 From AYM to local court: Your duty is not discussing authority
15:11 Diyarbakır Bar Association: Withdraw draft arming the watchmen
13:47 UN calls for cessation in Idlib
13:19 New application from Öcalan's lawyers
13:04 From prison guard to prisoner: 'The state is here, stand up!'
12:14 TÜİK: Turkey's population have become 83 millions
11:28 Turkey Women's Conference: To feminist strike with organized struggle
10:05 HDP Haliliye District Co-chair detained
10:04 January report from DFG: 4 journalists sentenced to 21 years
09:36 HDP city council members denied access to meetings in city hall
03/02/2020
16:32 HDP Hakkari Provincial Organization: Prisoners are left to die
14:45 27 women murdered by men in January
14:44 Russia denies Turkish air strikes on Idlib
14:09 Annotation on watchmen from HDP: AKP establishes its own internal army of despotism
12:34 Inflation increased by 1.35 percent, according to TURKSTAT
12:26 From Erdoğan to Russia: Our interlocutor is the regime, do not interrupt us
11:59 HDP: Maxmur attacks show ISIS taking action
11:19 Search conducted in Eskişehir Prison with Special Operations Teams
11:11 'The struggle of Kurdish women is inspiring'
11:11 Bakırköy Prison banned Kurdish newspaper stating it is in an 'undefinable language'
10:37 Uzgel: Palestine question is a question of interior politics in Middle East
10:04 Tension rises in İdlib: 4 soldiers lost their lives
09:49 Canal opponents in Istanbul: There is life between the seas!
02/02/2020
19:34 Free Women’s Movement (TJA) meeting concluded, Ayşe Gökkan elected as new spokeswoman
19:05 Embraced by the people, HDP grows strong in Istanbul
19:01 HDP Co-Chair Temelli is in Cizre: You should first solve the Kurdish problem
18:10 Işık: Isolation is a war against Kurdish politics
17:35 Yüksekdağ: A principled alliance could bring the end of AKP-Palace government
15:52 The reason to ban Saturday Mothers: They disturb tourists
15:51 3rd Women’s Meeting of TJA on second day
12:15 Eren Keskin: Authorized violence is coming to our doorstep
11:31 Free for everyone, banned for HDP: Humanitarian aids sent to the earthquake victims are confiscated
10:56 Tents flied after storm, earthquake victims returned to damaged houses
01/02/2020
17:05 HDP Youth Assembly member detained
17:05 Detained female politicians released
14:16 TJA activist Aşkan detained
14:14 Screening of 'İki Gözüm: Ahmet' movie terminated
13:24 Families’ appeal to visit Imralı rejected
10:53 FARC denounces plan to exterminate former guerrillas in Ituango
10:52 484 citizens poisoned in Antep and Adıyaman