Socialist Alternative of the Oppressed: ATILIM

21 October 2006  The weekly newspaper Atilim, which started to come out on 8 October 1994, it has a socialist publication line. Until its foundation, it was exposed to numerous attacks of banning, imprisonment and arrestment. Its offices were raided and plundered by the police for many times. But the attacks were not able to intimidate it or to put it in silence. It continued its struggle for enlightening the working class, labourers and the oppressed with its publication principle of "being objective in news and subjective in comments".  The state that was not able to put Atilim in silence has organized many complots. Many of its workers and writers were imprisoned for being related with illegal organizations, by using false cases. But every time, these complots were brought into light by struggling.This time, the state has conducted a wider attack against Atilim. First, they imprisoned Ibrahim Cicek, the Chief Editor and Sedat Senoglu, the Chief Coordinator of the newspaper. It was banned 15 days, for having carried the news of this attack and complot into its pages. After that, all its offices in many cities of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan and the houses of its workers were raided. The computers and archives in the offices were confiscated by the police. 3 of its 7 workers who were taken under police custody; Ozge Kelekci in Istanbul, Serdal Isik in Amed and Mehmet Guzel in Antep were imprisoned.Atilim has called for solidarity to the intellectuals, journalists and writers in order to put this attack and complot in vain. By sending a letter from the prison, Ibrahim Cicek, its Chief Editor and Sedat Senoglu, its Chief Coordinator, drew attention to the danger that al the oppositional pres is face to face with. This call was immediately responded. Revolutionary, progressive circles that defend the newspaper sell the newspaper in the streets and squares in order to carry it to the peoples. Many writers, intellectuals and journalists support the newspaper by working there or sending articles, news pieces and photos.Atilim tries to increase this solidarity on the international level, to achieve the solidarity of all the progressive, democratic and revolutionary organizations, journalists, intellectuals and writers who defend the press freedom and to protest this attack of the Turkish state which aims to put all the oppositional press in silence.Contact addresses for the newspaper Atilim:
Address: Çakiraga Mahallesi, Çakiraga Camii Sokak no: 16-10 Aksaray/ISTANBUL
TEL: 0090 212 633 46 14 E-mail: [email protected] www.atilim.org
Atilim Europe: [email protected]

Below is the list as of 21 October 2006 the intellectuals, writers and journalists who support the newspaper Atilim and whose number increases every day:

1. Haluk Gerger (researcher-writer)
2. Ragip Zarakolu (Representative of the International PEN in Turkey and journalist-writer)
3. Oral Çalislar (Journalist)
4. Varlik Özmenek (Journalist-writer)
5. Erol Önderoglu (Turkey correspondent of the Reporters Without Borders)
6. Celal Baslangiç (Journalist-writer)
7. Ercan Ipekçi (Chairman of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey)
8. Filiz Koçali (General President of SDP-Party of Socialist Democracy)
9. Haci Orman (President of BEKSAV)
10. Mukaddes Erdogdu Çelik (Writer)
11. Mehmet Günes (Writer)
12. Hacay Yilmaz (Writer)
13. Hasan Kiyafet (Writer)
14. Fatih Polat (Chief Editor of the newspaper Evrensel)
15. Cafer Solgun (Journalist-writer)
16. Sinan Kara (Owner of the newspaper Ege’nin Sesi, journalist-writer, member of the Executive Committee of the Izmir Branch of the Human Rights Association)
17. Ayse Çekiç Yamaç (Writer)
18. Hüseyin Habip Taskin (Writer)
19. Sanar Yurdatapan (Initiative against the Juridical Cases against the Freedom of Thought and Speech)
20. Feyza Hepçilingirler (Writer)
21. Alper Turgut (Correspondent of the newspaper Cumhuriyet)
22. Hüseyin Aykol (Chief Editor of the newspaper Gündem)
23. Temel Demirer (Writer)
24. Necati Abay (Spokesman of the Solidarity Platform with the Imprisoned Journalists)
25. Isil Özgentürk (Writer)
26. Ahmet Abakay (Chairman of the Association of the Contemporary Journalists)
27. Hasan Saglam (musician-poet)
28. Veysi Sarisözen (Writer)
29. Prof. Dr. Sehmus Güzel (Writer)
30. Ferhat Tunç (Singer)
31. Sezai Sarioglu (Writer)
32. Servet Ali Çinar (Chairman of the Association "Ege 78’liler")
33. Oktay Konyar (Spokesman of the Bergama villagers)
34. Ibrahim Çesmecioglu (Director of the newspaper Birgün)
35. Ismail Besikçi (Sociologist-researcher-writer)
36. Behiç Asçi (Lawyer- on hunger strike against the isolation policies against political prisoners)
37. Ismail Saymaz (Journalist)
38. Abdurrahman Dilipak (Writer)
39. Ali Ertan Akgün (Lawyer)
40. Yildirim Boran (Vice-chairman of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey)
41. Sevin (Singer)
42. Beyhan Aksoy (Singer)
43. Akin Birdal (Vice-chairman of the International Human Rights Federation)
44. Ali Keskin (Journalist)
45. Tacim Çiçek (Writer)
46. Molla Demirel (Programme Coordinator of the radio "Radyo Kaktüs")
47. Mehmet Alagöz (Writer)
48. Sungur Savran (Writer of the magazine "Isci Mücadelesi")
49. Sebnem Korur Fincanci (Doctor)
50. Nimet Tanrikulu (Chairwoman of the Association of the Citizens of Tunceli)
51. Hakan Tanittiran (Director of the Turkish edition of the magazine "Monthly Review")
52. Fatos Güney (Writer)
53. Eren Keskin (Lawyer)
54. Dicle Anter (Musa Anter’s son)
55. Memik Horuz (Journalist-writer- PRISONER)
56. Seza Mis Horuz (Worker)
57. Adnan Gerger (Journalist-writer, works for NTV)
58. Vedat Türkali (Writer)
59. Sennur Sezer (Poet-writer)
60. Adnan Özyalçiner (Writer)
61. Umar Karatepe (Director of the newspaper Halkin Sesi)
62. Ali Ergin Demirhan (Writer, works for Sendika.org)
63. Dinçer Aslan (Writer, works for Sendika.org)
64. Mehmet Bekaroglu (Ex-deputy)
65. Esber Yagmurdereli (Lawyer)
66. Meltem Kaya (Poet)
67. Sait Çetinoglu (Journalist-writer)
68. Emin Karaca (Writer)
69. Adnan Keskin (Journalist)
70. Suzan Samanci (Writer)
71. Necati Özdemir (Lawyer, ex-fiscal of the Bayrampasa Prison)
72. Ece Temelkuran (Journalist-writer)
73. Metin Yasin (Journalist-writer)
74. Sevim Belli (Writer)
75. Mihri Belli (Writer)
76. Hatice Akdogan (Writer)
77. Osman Ergin (Lawyer)
78. Bülent Habora (Journalist-writer)
79. Hrant Dink (Journalist-writer)
80. Hasan Oguz (Writer)
81. Günay Kubilay (Journalist)
82. Ragip Duran (Journalist-writer)
83. Çagdas Büyükbas (Journalist from the review "Proleter Devrimci Durus")
84. Celalettin Can (Spokesman of the Initiative "78’liler" in Istanbul)
85. Dr. Mariam Abu Dagga (Chairwoman of the Palestinian Women’s United Association)
86. Mustafa Peköz (Writer)
87. Hüsnü Öndül (Writer, human rights defender)
88. Mehmet Özer (Poet, photographer)
89. Dr. Ibrahim Okçuoglu (Writer)
90. Berat Günçikan (Journalist-writer)
91. Irfan Uçar (Journalist)
92. Refik Durbas (Writer)
93. Ercan Kanar (Lawyer)
94. Ayhan Erden (Poet)
95. Rudi Rinaldi (Member of the Organizing Committee of the 4th European Social Forum)
96. Manik Mukherjee (Vice-president of All India Anti-imperialist Forum)
97. Dr. Lavwer Stroka
98. The newspaper "Alinteri"
99. Mihriban Kirdök (Lawyer)
100. Gülseren Yoleri (Lawyer)
101. Gülizar Tuncer (Lawyer)
102. Keles Öztürk (Lawyer)
103. Irfan Kaygisiz (The Union Tum Bel-Sen, responsible for education)
104. The Magazine "Sol"
105. Gazi Keskin (Writer-poet)
106. Özcan Sapan (Writer)
107. Süleyman Kaplan (poet)
108. Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran
109. Gülten Kaya (Journalist)
110. The magazine "Hareket"
111. A. Kadir Konuk (Journalist writer)
112. Medenî Ferho (Writer-journalist)
113. Rojan Hazim (Writer)
114. Haydar Isik (Writer)
115. Derwes M. Ferho (Chairman of the Kurdish Institute)
116. Tayfun Isçi (Ex-executive of the Public Servers’ Trade Unions Confederation – KESK)

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