Most persecuted Turkish journalist: �All my troubles come from my love for homeland"

Turan: You have been inactive for long. Writing books is a self-consolation for inactive journalists or a means to prove that it is impossible to make you fall silent?

Aqajyk: I"ve been thrown idle since 2006. For about 3 years I worked at Sky Türk channel, travelled across the country, Istanbul, and covered the news. My questions are built on humor, sarcasm and satire.

I"m a representative of Qyzylbash culture, a friend of Black Sea hero of anecdotes Temel rooted in the Phrygian culture. As you know, Phrygians hang ears on their boastful kings. In other words, a journalist is eyes and ears of society. I"m seeking to do my work in accordance with this principle, and for this to happen I"ve chosen humor, for humor is truth"s major component. Humor is intrinsic to my nature, and I cannot break off this habit in my work.

Every time I posed a question, I was beaten by bodyguards of former head of the state Kenan Evre and former Prime Minister and later President Turgut Ozal. However, they did not dismiss me but Erdogan did. There are two fronts in Turkey: front of pseudo-Ataturkists and front of pseudo-Moslems. I"m siding with no party. I was fined on court decision because of questions I asked, so I had to sell my house to meet the debts. When the court passed on my matter, none of my colleagues wrote about it.

When asking questions, I feel great delight. For this reason, when I"m beaten I receive it as lover"s wounds. There was once a time when 1000 intellectuals sent a self-denunciation to the procurator"s office. They also included Aziz Nesin and Yashar Kemal. I joined the group as well.

During the conduct of the proceedings at Beshiktash, Aziz Nesin was behind Yashar Kemal. I told a public prosecutor that I became an anarchist after reading books of these two personsm and that I"m currently charged with anarchism and that if he is going to arrest these persons, he will be saved. The prosecutor asked: "from what?" I replied that when facing the necessity of looking through numerous files he had no time to go home, cinema and concerts or spare time to his family. So it"d be better for him to arrest these persons and thus save people from slipping to anarchism. Later on, Yashar abi (from "ağabey" - "elder brother") told me: "listen, dumb-ass, if the prosecutor guesses that you are poking fun at him, you will be locked up for "contempt of court!". However, the prosecutor failed to get the measure of me. He often asked me: "Well, what should I do?". A song of an Anatolian ashug says: "One hand rubs another". My questions are aimed at highlighting pruritic places. Hence, those slugging me are right in their own fashion.

Turan: Were those slugging you bodyguards of Kenan Evren and Ozal?

Aqajyk: Yes, I was slugged by bodyguards from Kenan Evren to Tayip Erdogan. In other words, bodyguards of all politicians have always watched me out. I have pulled through death 9 times thanks to Evren first, and then to Ozal"s press-secretary Ali Baransel - I owe him a big timeпо гроб жизни я обязан ему!

Turan: Were you beaten on instructions of Evren, Ozal or ...?

Aqajyk: There were no need in their instructions. I don"t believe that Evren or Ozal gave instructions of this sort. True, bodyguards" task is to prevent any danger threatening persons under care; however, they beat a journalist who asked a question. The problem is that there are no citizens in this society but subjects only, so you must obey the high and mighty!

Predominant in our society are flattery and hipocricy. There was once a time when you could breathe more freely; however, everything fell back into the fold over the past 15 years. When I ask top leaders: "What do you think of embezzlement?", I"m immediately imprisoned in line with Article "Personal injury". In the meanwhile, it is quite conceivable to address any questions to heads of the state according to laws of democratic society.

In the countries like our"s, heads believe that journalists must lie down and carry out their orders. They receive questions of journalists not as demands of the public but as attacks against them personally. They consider their posts as property inherited from their ancestors.

Turan: This is none other than return to feudalism, isn"t this?

Aqajyk: Together with the return to feudalism there is a demand on obedience borrowed from blatant Sharia.

Turan: Well, isn"t the press a phenomenon caused by industrialization?

Aqajyk: There is an insignificant number of journalists in Turkey to advocate the freedom of press. The point is that most journalists are fawning on the country"s leadership, so the current situation came as a result of activities of numerous weak-willed journalists, not only activities of the authorities..

After I was dismissed from "Star" editorials at the demand of the current authorities, I met with Aydin Dogan in an effort to return to "Milliet" newspaper. Following my conversation with editor-in-chief Sedat Ergin, Aydyn bey phoned me as saying that a journalist does not a journalist, and I answered as follows: "You are owner of the newspaper sand if you like, the editor-in-chief will ke me".

He continued: "Give me your bank account number, and I"ll transfer money you want to your account".

I replied: "Aydin bey, please, don"t humble me. You are controlling 70% media, I want not money but work. Sorry, I"m not a beggar". My words put him out of temper but soon after he apologized as saying that there was no job for me in his newspapers and magazines. Aydin Dogan was to back me; however, my haughtiness made him angry. When I told about the incident at TV, some colleagues phoned me reproaching that Aydin Dogan meant to give me money but you declined. How can a free-thinking journalist take money?! Countries with "colleagues" of this sort will never obtain truthful information!

Turan: Where will it lead us to?

Aqajyk: Current state of journalism is based on refusal from humanism, subservience, meannes and dishonor. It is not only a regress of society but a serious betrayal of principles of profession, betrayal on the global scale. If there are sentient beings on other planets, they"ll be shocked at journalists" nastiness on Earth to attain their goals.

At any rate, they cannot be named journalists, they are rather obsequious servants in the service of press. Orkhan Pamuk is a man of the nature, he is a servant of international imperialism. He was declared Nobel Prize winner not for pulp novels but for words "Turks killed 1 mln Armenians and 30,000 Kurds". When he arrived in Turkey, he denied saying these words.

Turan: Is it in the nature of eastern societies? Nobel Prize winner, American writer William Faulkner advocated rights of southern regions of the country more fervently than politicians did. Are eastern communities double-faced? And remain to be ill-starred?

Aqajyk: First of all, serious reforms are to be carried out in the West and the religion. No society without freedom but with prevalent fear can develop. The fear disables a person of humaneness. Communities with no freedom of conscience cannot make progress. Royal families are directly related to imperialists ... A journalist from Saudi Arabia was killed in Turkey in plain sight; however, they are still searching for his body. On such occasions, this is not about human rights protection issues but material benefits in the first turn...

Turan: Most of all, you chaffed with Suleyman Demirel. Your book gives full attention to him.

Aqajyk: One day I asked Demirel why he was called "baba" (grandfather)? He replied: - "Musa, my brother, we worked long and hard for the sake of our state, so we are called "baba".

- Dear Demirel, I"m working for the sake of the state and the nation nut nobody calls me "grand-dad".

- And they"ll never do, for you are too young.

- If that"s the case, nobody calls my father "grand-dad".

- But that"s a different story.

- Strange it is. Perhaps, there is another reason you are called in that manner?

- What else can it be?

- Well, for instance, it is related to our mothers?

- Dear Musa, we cannot be related to all mothers of of our 52 mln population ...

Upon that, Demirel laughed long.