The Turkish Journalist Ahmet Altan receives this year the Geschwister-Scholl-prize – in the absence of. A highly political decision.
The Turkish Journalist Ahmet Altan (69) remains, according to its Familiar Yasemin Congar, even after his re-detention to be optimistic. “He is amazing and has a great inner strength,” she said on Monday.
they had not travelled to Munich Geschwister-Scholl-Preis for Gazebo book, “I’m going to the world good-bye. To take texts out of prison”. She has translated the Essays in the book from Turkish to English.
detention
“Altan”, which is regarded as a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, shortly after the coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016 had been arrested. He was sentenced in February 2018 because of alleged Links to the Gülen movement, first to life imprisonment, in the meantime, the penalty was reduced to ten and a half years.
A Turkish court had left Altan in the beginning of November after three years of detention on remand under restrictions. A few days later, however, he was arrested again.
In his excellent book, he writes of his arrest and detention, and the encounters with the police and the Prosecutor’s office. In addition, he portrayed fellow prisoners. “His fate is, unfortunately, illustrative of the Situation of many independent journalists in an increasingly authoritarian or dictatorial societies”, as stated in the statement of the Jury of the award ceremony.
in Solidarity with Altan
With the price the city wants to show according to data of the Munich Cultural Affairs officer Anton Biebl solidarity with Altan and him from the distance support.
The 10’000 euros, the award is intended to remind you of Sophie and Hans Scholl, were listened to during the Nazi-time, the student resistance group “White Rose” in Munich and later of the national socialists murdered.
Altan is the 40. Carrier of the price, have to get in front of him, for example, the Chinese Dissident Liao Yiwu and the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya (posthumously). (nag/sda)
Created: 25.11.2019, 15:43 PM
