The translation of Noam Chomsky’s and Edward S. Herman’s book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media ‘ the book considered as a masterpiece worldwide ‘ which is translated by Aram Yayincilik has been sued in Turkey.  

Within the context of the lawsuit, the owner of Aram Publishing House Fatih Tas, the two editors, and the translator of the book wil be judged and demanded from 1,5 to 6 years imprisonment sentences. The indictment claims that the accused persons violated Article 301 and Article 216 of Turkish Penal Code. According to this, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman ‘openly humiliates Turkishness, Turkish Rebuplic, Turkish Parliamentry, Turkish army and Turkish security forces’. They are also charged with ‘inciting ethnic hostilities and hatred among population’. 

According to the indicment, Chomksy and Herman commits that crime by this way: the writers, in the updated introduction of the 2002 edition of the book, make a comparison between US mass media coverage of the atrocities committed by Serbia against Albanians and by Turkey against Kurds in 90’s. The ethnic cleansing in Kosovo against Albanians is really miniscule in size when compared to Turkey. It is estimated that approximately 2-3 thousands of deaths have occured in Kosovo. Yet in Turkey’s war against Kurds 30.000 people have died and 2-3 millions of Kurds have been expelled. In spite of this, the mass media gives large coverage to the atrocities in Kosovo and uses, rather frequently, the terms of ‘ethnic cleansing’and ‘genocide’. Yet when it comes to Turkey ‘ the client state and a NATO ally of USA ‘ both the atrocities are given little coverage and the accusatory terms are pronounced so rarely.  

The lawsuit against Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman is only one within lawsuits against many publishers, writers and journalists in Turkey. Especially last year, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of suits threatening freedom of thought. In Turkey, between 2000-2005, 284 books were confiscated. Merely this year, 22 publishers, 47 writers, 49 books have been adjudicated. 11 of these charges have been aquitted, but 11 have been convicted, 2 of them were nolle prosequi. Lawsuits about 25 books are being executed. The oppression especially on the dissident publishing and the Kurdish media has increased. Aram Publishing House, which describes itself as a component of the Kurdish opposition, is engaged in many other lawsuits. Recently, the publication and distribution of Free Agenda (Özgür Gündem), the newspaper which is an important component of the Kurdish opposition, has been banned from publication and distribution for 15 days, via the jurisdiction of the new Anti-terror Act. It is stated that the prosecutors will not let this paper survive.     

In Turkey, the violation of freedom of thought ‘ especially heavy sanctions on independent media and Kurdish media ‘ is observed in periods that the opression and human rights violations increase. The aim is, as Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman examples in their book, to prevent the publicly announcement of heavy human rights violations carried out by security forces.    

Thus it’s necessary to evaluate these limitations on freedom of expression, in terms of human rights and in this context of oppressions and human rights violations which have increased in last two years. The period that we undergo signals that human rights violations may increase to serious levels.  

The way that Turkey leave the Kurdish problem unsolved in 2000’s will help us to illuminate today’s conditions. In this period Turkish state had two options. The first one was the ‘peaceful option’. Kurdish movement’s tendency of pursueing peaceful struggle in civil area and manifestation that it will not use armed struggle as a strategy, except in self-defence, paved the way to lessening of conflicts to a large extent.    

This opened a way to the opportunity of permanent peace. Kurds had basic victimizations, and for the establishment of permanent peace these victimizations were to be relieved. Kurds, whose villages were evicted, should have been given the opportunity of returning to their villages. Kurdish people that were exposed to linguicide should have been given the opportunity of having education in their mother tongue. In the dirty war executed through 90’s, the paramiliter forces ‘ formed by the army ‘

murdered, in illegal ways, thousands of Kurdish activists working in the civil area. These murders must have been illuminated. And the leader of the Kurdish movement, Abdullah Öcalan, should have been given his freedom; the members of the Kurdish movement should have been given their opportunity to participate in peaceful political activity.   

In 2000’s Turkey has chosen the second option; ‘forcing to submission, otherwise, crushing.’Kurds would never be let to pronounce their ethnic and cultural demands in public sphere, to make politics in legal ways. Of course none of the victimizations mentioned above were relieved. 

Today, the period that paved the way to limitations on freedom of expression and to serious human rights violations started with this choice of the second option. Newroz (the festival that Kurds have turned into political demonstrations since 90’s) in 2005 was an important turning point. After the 2005 Newroz that millions of Kurds attended and expressed their demands on cultural identity and peace, a total oppression and lynch campaign against Kurds has been launched. After the circulation of provocative news in the mass media, which had claimed that several Kurdish children burned the Turkish flag in Mersin, the Chief of the General State announced that the Kurds were ‘pseudo-citizens’. Kurds were ‘protested’by Turkish flags hang around everywhere, and in several places they were exposed to lynch. 

Afterwards, in the spring of 2005, dozens of bombings occured in Hakkari ‘ a Kurdish province. In one of these provinces, in Semdinli, the bombers of a book-store were captured and handed over to the police by the townspeople. The bombings turned out to be carried out by army sergeants and an informant linked to JITEM (Military Intelligence Unit), a counter-guerilla organization, the existence of which is denied by the Turkish state. The semi-legal military units, directly linked to the General Staff, were bombing the cities that Kurds inhibited.

The incidents in Semdinli triggered an important discussion in Turkey. The state prosecutor that prepared the indicment about the arrested soldiers alleged that the action was not executed solely by the low-level officers, but by a secret organization which was led by General Yasar Büyükanit, who was the Commander of the Ground Forces that time. The state prosecutor demanded that Büyükanit should be adjudicated. 

Military gave a severe reaction to the uncovering of the illegal actions and the demands for adjudication of the generals. By putting pressure on the goverment, military made the prosecutor to be dismissed from the office. Thus, the coup d’état period that we undergo, the transfer of power to the military which defends the oppression of the Kurds, accelereated.  

Newroz of 2006 was also an important turning point. Kurds attended to the demonstrations more massively than ever. They reacted against the restart of the actions of paramilitary organizations, being threatened, being intimidated, and bombings of their cities. They raised their voices for the solidarity of Turkish and Kurdish people.  

Yet, military was decided to use its traditional ‘hawkish methods.’Immediately after the Newroz, 14 Kurdish guerilla were killed with chemical weapons. A funeral was organized for the four of these guerillas in Diyarbakir, with the participation of thousands of people. But the ‘massacre policy’to suppress and crash people’s will was put into practice again; the security forces opened fire indiscriminately on the public. 16 Kurdish people, some of whom were child and elderly died and many people were hospitalized. But the reaction of the people were more massive than expected; for three days Kurds rebelled in Diyarbakir. They barricaded in neighbourhoods and prevented police and soldiers come in. Kurds carried out their own ‘intifada.’They had used only stones and molotov cocktails. No security force were killed. But 16 people were killed by the securtiy forces. 

Events in Diyarbakir were reflected as ‘a terrorist uprising’in a propaganda campaign where military and mass media were really active. In Diyarbakir and also in other Kurdish provinces ‘ where massive demonstrations were held ‘ thousands of Kurds, members of DTP (the Kurdish political party) and NGO activists were taken into custody or arrested. People in custody, and especially children informed that they were tortured. 

To prevent the public discussion of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem and popular demonstrations that were appliying significant pressure on goverment, the Anti-terror Act was submitted to the Parliament immediately after the events in Diyarbakir. The General Staff prepared the Act and pressured for the immediate approval of it.   

The Anti-terror Act says that discussing on the Kurdish problem by using media and news, commenting on this issue, organizing peaceful demonstrations and any other peaceful events are ‘terrorist crimes.’Heavy imprisonment sentences will be given to these crimes. 

Today Anti-terror Act is in effect. But it was put into practice in Kurdish region long ago. People active in legal Kurdish institutions are continuing to be taken in custody and arrested. Meetings are being attacked by police and hundreds of people are being taken into custody.

The General Staff deployed 250.000 soldiers in the Iraq-Turkey border and in Kurdish region. Serious operations were launcehd against Kurdish guerillas in Turkey. Hundreds of soldiers and guerillas died. But the target was ‘total destruction’of the Kurdish movement. So Turkish state come up with launching of a big operation to Northern Iraq to ‘root out’the armed forces of the Kurdish movement.   

Of course the sheer target was not to smash the armed forces of the Kurdish movement; US certainly intervened to Middle East to monopolize access to oil. But the ex-Saddam regime, and today Syria and Iran, who challenge US intervention, are dictatorial states that have suppressed their own people for decades. Now they fear that Kurds, people that they suppressed most, gain a new statute and rights. Turkey fears, too. So, by carrying out a cross-border military operation to Northern Iraq, it wants both to smash Kurdish movement and to intimidate Kurds that gained a large autonomy in Northern Iraq.    

Thus, Turkish state bargains with US for a cross-border operation. In exchange for sending soldiers to a pro-western peace corps which will be deployed in Lebanon, Turkey tries to receive the approval of US for a military operation to Northern Iraq. In case US doesn’t let it launch an operation, Turkey will try to persuade US to put pressure on Kurdish parties in Northern Iraq and to circumscribe the maneouvre space of the Kurdish movement.  

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The General that was held responsible for the bombings in Semdinli is now the Chief of the General Staff. Military continues to organize massive military operations in Kurdish Southeast and is preparing for a potential operation to Northern Iraq.     

Military and the goverment doesn’t want to let democratic forces and Kurds criticise the existing policies and try for the establishment of peace. They wish that Turkish society, intellectuals and the mass media become a monolithic totality and support military policies by sinking into a dark Turkish nationalism. They want to put a total censorship on the press and publishing institutions, to be able to suppress Kurdish people easily and silently and to commit severe human rights violations ‘ as was the case in 90’s. We can analyze the escalation of oppression on the freedom of expression in Turkey within this context. This frame explains too increasing human rights violations and oppressions on the independent media institutions which problematize Kurdish problem. The banning of Free Agenda daily from publication can also be evaluated with these terms. And so the lawsuit against Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s book’¦  
 
 

                                          Aram Publishing House  

                                                                  TURKEY