Mr. Zafer Mutlu, Chairman of the Board
Mr. Dinç Bilgin, Publisher
Mr. Tayfun Devecioglu, Editor-in-Chief
SABAH Newspaper
Istanbul
Turkey

By Fax: +90212-315 86 83

Vienna, 16 November 2000

Dear Sirs,

The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, wishes to express in an open letter its concern at the decision by the management of the daily newspaper Sabah to discontinue the weekly column of one of the paper’s journalists.

According to our sources, a decision by the management prevented journalist Cengiz Candar’s column of 4 November from appearing in the paper. Instead, Sabah issued a statement under the journalist’s by-line, “explaining” that the column had been withdrawn because it broke the law by insulting the military.” In addition, Candar was told that his weekly column would no longer be included in the newspaper. As a result, the journalist decided to take a leave of absence.

Candar’s column, which was subsequently published in other media outlets, had called for military officers involved in a smear campaign to be “punished.” The reported smear campaign, named the “Special Action Plan,” was first disclosed by Nazli Ilicak, a columnist for the newspaper Yeni Safak and a Member of Parliament, on 21 October. The aim of the campaign was to discredit a number of prominent journalists and intellectuals, including Candar, by linking them to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The military has confirmed the existence of a document, dated April 1998, which outlines this plan, but claims that it was only a “memo” containing suggestions.

The decision to discontinue Candar’s column is deeply troubling and raises serious concerns with regard to editorial independence. In view of the fact that Candar was merely providing further comments on an issue already in the public realm, it would appear self-censorship has played a role in the outcome of an editorial decision, thus compromising the accountability that the media is supposed to ensure and provide in a democracy. In addition, a column is widely recognised as a commentary rather than an article and, in this case, it appears Candar has been punished for expressing an opinion.

Therefore, IPI urges you to ensure that Candar is allowed to continue writing his weekly column in Sabah. Furthermore, we urge you to ensure that he is able to carry out his profession without hindrance, thus guaranteeing that editorial independence at Sabah is upheld.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director