Silenced: The nationalist war on Turkey's intellectuals

Free-thinkers are under siege from a campaign of intimidation by the far right which has created a climate of repression and self-censorship. Elizabeth Davies reports from Istanbul

Published: 07 March 2007

Dear Member of Congress, As citizens of the Turkish Republic , it is our sincere desire that the HR 106 draft is withdrawn and dropped from the agenda indefinitely, as it deserves. This draft needlessly drags the US Congress into a period where history and propaganda are mingled. It also attempts to legislate a controversial historic issue and overstrains the Congress jurisdiction. The Turkish Republic , a 60-year ally of the US , is unfairly and unjustly blamed for events that are claimed to have occurred in 1915.

These efforts also ignore calls by the Turkish Government and the Turkish Parliament. Both invited all interested historians to research all the relevant archives and records and reach a joint conclusion on what exactly happened. Turkey still expects a positive response to this initiative. Historic events need to be tackled by historians and not by elected public officials. Politicians should determine the future not the past. Moreover, there are two sides in this issue. We understand that the aforementioned draft is a by-product of domestic US politics.

The interest groups that are campaigning for this resolution may be your electorates. We Turks may not have the matching electorate and vote numbers, nor the lobbying power. Still, we are 70 million Turks honorably living in a strategically important geography for centuries. This geography is also deemed vital for US interests. Similarly, millions of our Turkic brethren In Eurasia, the US, Europe, the Middle East , Balkans and elsewhere are monitoring these developments very closely. We expect that the US Congress will avoid insulting the Turkish nation, especially at a time when the US needs friends in our geography.

Turkish Nation is expecting a friendship message from the US .

Do you know Midnight Express movie? And do you think you know everything :-) Please watch these videos if you want to know truth!...

This interview reveals the truth behind the story of the movie "Midnight Express". Billy Hayes is interviewed by Alinur Velidedeoğlu in 1999 Cannes film festival

Interview part one


Interview part two

Don't panic. No bomb anywhere. Only I add this title for to attract attention of Uskudar Municipality and other related people.

Summary is; in my home area we don't have any garbage containers. Because local municipality said; we can't put garbage cont. because somebody put a bomb this boxs. But I know my living place Cengelkoy and Uskudar is not a target of terrorism. And in my street no bomb explode last 100 years. And garbages are outdoors, cats and dogs to smash and it's dangerous of healthy of our families.

And believe me; no bomb dangerous are available here; I think it's more policitical. Not a terrorism. Maybe living somebodies in our area not liking in local municipality :-)