Ahmet Şık
Encyclopedia
Ahmet Şık is a Turkish investigative journalist, author of several books and a trade unionist.
, Faculty for Communication, department Journalism. Between 1991-2007 he worked for several newspapers such as Cumhuriyet
, Evrensel and Yeni Yüzyıl. He has also worked at Nokta
magazine and Reuters News Agency
as a photo journalist. He turned to academic work, when he was dismissed for his trade unionist activities. Ahmet Şık is a member of the Turkish Journalists' Union (tr: Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası TGS) and the Association of Contemporary Journalists (tr: Çağdaş Gazeteciler Derneği ÇGD). In dailies, weeklies and monthlies he had published on human rights, journalism and professional ethics.
and Ankara
, including the journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener. On 6 March they and another seven people were arrested on the allegation they were members of the secret organization Ergenekon
. On or around 23 March Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 12 ordered the confiscation of a draft for a book that Ahmet Şık wanted to publish under the title of "The Army of the Imam". On 1 April 2011 unknown people made the book available on the Internet.
The printing house, İthaki, was the publisher that owned the rights to "İmamın Ordusu" (The Army of the Imam). The unpublished book deals with the alleged organization founded within the Turkish police by the Fethullah Gülen
religious community
. This fact has led to suspicions that Şık was arrested due to the book's contents, rather than his involvement in the alleged Ergenekon gang, which he has worked as a journalist to expose.
The co-author of Ahmet Şık's earlier books on Ergenekon, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu made a summary of the book.
In the book there are long passages on the life of Fethullah Gülen. This kind of information already existed in many articles and books. Yet, there are further details on the conflict between Necmettin Erbakan
and the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP). The book also presents confessions of one of the founders of the Akyazılı Foundation that in 1966 became the basis for the establishment of the parish. It is also explained how Gülen developed schools and made use of certain media institutions.
Relating to the governments of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) the fast organization of the Gülen parish in the bureaucracy is explained. The question is asked whether the parish is the armed unit of the police. The Democratic Turkey Forum has translated passages of the book into English.
In his draft book Şık draws heavily on other sources, including quoting extensively from intelligence reports from before the AKP came to power in 2002 and more recent work by other journalists and analysts. As a result, the book contains little that was not already known. The book is much like any other that has been published about Gülen. It is written in the past tense, which is not the tense that anyone composing an “illegal organizational document” to plan a coup would use. Criticism like "the book aims to create a sensation, rather than provide objective information" was also voiced.
This is not the first time that Ahmet Şık is on trial. On 2 April 2008 Lale Sarıiibrahimoğlu (columnist in the daily Today's Zaman
) and Ahmet Şık were acquitted from charges of insulting the military under Article 301
of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which penalizes the denigration of “Turkishness” or the Turkish army. Bakırköy
2nd Court of First Instance in İstanbul ruled that the article titled, “The military should withdraw its hand from internal security,” in the Feb. 8, 2007 edition of weekly Nokta should be evaluated as “harsh criticism” and not a criminal offence.
Career
He graduated from Istanbul UniversityIstanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
, Faculty for Communication, department Journalism. Between 1991-2007 he worked for several newspapers such as Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet
Cumhuriyet is a centre-left Turkish daily newspaper, founded on May 7, 1924 by journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu. Based in Istanbul, it has been situated since October 17, 2005 in Mecidiyeköy. Cumhuriyet was the last newspaper to leave the old press district Cağaloğlu...
, Evrensel and Yeni Yüzyıl. He has also worked at Nokta
Nokta
Nokta was a Turkish weekly political news magazine launched by Ercan Arıklı on 1 March 1982 as Nokta ve İnsanlar. A year later it became Nokta, and continued thus until 2007 when it was closed under military pressure....
magazine and Reuters News Agency
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
as a photo journalist. He turned to academic work, when he was dismissed for his trade unionist activities. Ahmet Şık is a member of the Turkish Journalists' Union (tr: Türkiye Gazeteciler Sendikası TGS) and the Association of Contemporary Journalists (tr: Çağdaş Gazeteciler Derneği ÇGD). In dailies, weeklies and monthlies he had published on human rights, journalism and professional ethics.
The Army of the Imam
On 3 March 2011 eleven people were detained in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, including the journalists Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener. On 6 March they and another seven people were arrested on the allegation they were members of the secret organization Ergenekon
Ergenekon
Ergenekon is the name of the place where Nekuz and Qiyan and their wives escaped to, and who were the original Mongols in Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh written by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani at the beginning of the 14th century...
. On or around 23 March Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 12 ordered the confiscation of a draft for a book that Ahmet Şık wanted to publish under the title of "The Army of the Imam". On 1 April 2011 unknown people made the book available on the Internet.
The printing house, İthaki, was the publisher that owned the rights to "İmamın Ordusu" (The Army of the Imam). The unpublished book deals with the alleged organization founded within the Turkish police by the Fethullah Gülen
Fethullah Gülen
Muhammed Fethullah Gülen is a Turkish preacher, author, educator, and Sufi Muslim scholar living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania . He is the founder and leader of the Gülen movement...
religious community
Gülen movement
The Gülen movement is a transnational civic society movement inspired by the teachings of Turkish Islamic theologian Fethullah Gülen. His teachings about hizmet have attracted a large number of supporters in Turkey, Central Asia and increasingly in other parts of the world...
. This fact has led to suspicions that Şık was arrested due to the book's contents, rather than his involvement in the alleged Ergenekon gang, which he has worked as a journalist to expose.
The co-author of Ahmet Şık's earlier books on Ergenekon, Ertuğrul Mavioğlu made a summary of the book.
In the book there are long passages on the life of Fethullah Gülen. This kind of information already existed in many articles and books. Yet, there are further details on the conflict between Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan
Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish engineer, academic, politician , who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 until 1997. He was Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister...
and the Nationalist Movement Party
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party , is a far-right political party in Turkey.In the 2002 general elections, the party had lost its 129 seats as it had won only 8.34% of the national vote...
(MHP). The book also presents confessions of one of the founders of the Akyazılı Foundation that in 1966 became the basis for the establishment of the parish. It is also explained how Gülen developed schools and made use of certain media institutions.
Relating to the governments of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) the fast organization of the Gülen parish in the bureaucracy is explained. The question is asked whether the parish is the armed unit of the police. The Democratic Turkey Forum has translated passages of the book into English.
In his draft book Şık draws heavily on other sources, including quoting extensively from intelligence reports from before the AKP came to power in 2002 and more recent work by other journalists and analysts. As a result, the book contains little that was not already known. The book is much like any other that has been published about Gülen. It is written in the past tense, which is not the tense that anyone composing an “illegal organizational document” to plan a coup would use. Criticism like "the book aims to create a sensation, rather than provide objective information" was also voiced.
This is not the first time that Ahmet Şık is on trial. On 2 April 2008 Lale Sarıiibrahimoğlu (columnist in the daily Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman is one of two English-language dailies based in Turkey. Established on January 16, 2007, the newspaper's main competitor is the older Hürriyet Daily News....
) and Ahmet Şık were acquitted from charges of insulting the military under Article 301
Article 301 (Turkish penal code)
Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal Code making it illegal to insult Turkey, the Turkish ethnicity, or Turkish government institutions...
of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which penalizes the denigration of “Turkishness” or the Turkish army. Bakırköy
Bakirköy
This article is about a neighbourhood in IstanbulBakırköy is a neighborhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey. The quarter is densely populated, has a residential character and is inhabited by a middle class population...
2nd Court of First Instance in İstanbul ruled that the article titled, “The military should withdraw its hand from internal security,” in the Feb. 8, 2007 edition of weekly Nokta should be evaluated as “harsh criticism” and not a criminal offence.
Indictment and trial
On 26 August 2011 İstanbul prosecutor Cihan Kansız sent a 134-page indictment on 14 defendants, 12 of them in pre-trial detention to the newly founded Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 16. One of the imprisoned defendants was Ahmet Şık. The charges included membership or support of an armed organization and incitement to hatred and enmity. Ahmet Şık was charged with support of an armed organization. On 13 September 2011 Istanbul Heavy Penal Court 16 decided that the trial will start on 22 November 2011.Books
- Together with Ertuğrul Mavioğlu the book ″40 mules, 40 cleavers″ (Kırk katır, kırk satır), consisting of two volumes
- Ergenekon’da Kim Kimdir? (Who is who in Ergenekon) 2010. ISBN 9786053750376
- Kontrgerilla ve Ergenekon’u Anlama Kılavuzu (Guide to understand the contra-guerilla and Ergenekon) 2010. ISBN 9786053750314
- Draft: ″The Army of the Imam″ (İmamın Ordusu)
Awards
- Bülent Dikmener Haber Ödülü (en: Bülent Dikmenler News Award) (1994)
- Türkiye Gazeteciler Cemiyeti Fotoğraf Ödülü (en: Photography Award of the Turkish Journalists's Association) (1995)
- Metin Göktepe Gazetecilik Ödülü (en: Metin Göktepe Journalism Award) (2001-2002-2007)
- In 2001 for the best article in the printed press for the article "The underground killers" (tr: Yeraltındaki Katiller)
- In 2002 special award from the jury for the article "Back to Reality" (tr: Gerçeğe Dönüş)
- In 2007 special award from the jury for the article "There are two kinds of journalists: Opponents of the Turkish Armed Forces TSK and followers of the TSK" (tr: İki tür gazeteci vardır: TSK karşıtları, TSK yandaşları)
- Çağdaş Gazeteciler Derneği Haber Ödülü (en: News Award from the Association of Contemporary Journalists) (2002-2003-2005)
Links
- http://ahmetsik.com
- http://theopinions.info/thearmyoftheimam.htm
- Relevant pages of the Democratic Turkey Forum