IPS journalist Jake Hess has centered his writing around the Turkish government’s treatment of Kurds along their border with Iraqi Kurdistan. But his recent articles got a little too critical, at least in the Turkish government’s view, and he wound up in prison and charged with terrorism.
Jake Hess, a 25 year old journalist whose writings have appeared at Antiwar.com, had made no bones about his advocacy of the plight of displaced Kurds in the region, but officials insisted he was an “activist” and tied to the banned KCK, itself an umbrella group for a number of other banned Kurdish groups across Turkey, and insisted that whatever protection he had as a journalist no longer applied. He was swept up last week in the mass arrest of Kurdish activists.
But according to Hess, his interrogation centered strictly around his articles, written while working for news agency IPS, and he was told by officials in no uncertain terms that his articles are “harming Turkey’s image.”
Officials say they are planning to deport Hess from Turkey, but he will have to wait “a week to 10 days” in a Turkish prison before the deportation order comes around. His detention has sparked condemnation from a number of journalists’ organizations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Palestinian are being displaced, killed everyday in their own land, anything written on that?
No, it will only be exposed when the US becomes independent.Nonetheless, Kurds need to be given their independence from their colonial oppressors. The list is comprised for murderous regimes that includes Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria
Ian,before you go halfcocked read this article and if you can afford the related book on
Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq http://www.democracynow.org/2006/4/21/overthrow_a…
By the way,over 200 years ago,America was bombing countries in the middle East. Maybe you can explan–Englands roll in splitting the M.E region and what purpose did it serve
This is getting worse, 10 days is like years.
Sean
I am glad that Antiwar has reported the story of the journalist arrested in Turkey.
Usually the "libertarians" at Antiwar will not criticize Turkey at all no matter how much money and arms the US gives Turkey and no matter what human rights violations Turkey perpetrates. Ever notice that?
So what got into you to post this story? Have you suddenly become objective?
The claim doesn't stand up to casual scrutiny. I've written more than 50 Turkey related articles myself since late 2008, and there's a ton of content on this site about Kurds, Sibel Edmonds, the Armenian genocide battle in Congress, etc.