Doğan has been given a sentence of 2 years and 10 months by a Turkish court.
Zehra Doğan. Courtesy the Voice Project.
The Turkish-Kurdish painter and journalist Zehra Doğan has been sentenced to two years, nine months, and 22 days in prison for creating a painting which depicted the destruction caused by Turkish security forces in the Nusaybin district of Mardin province, a Kurdish region in Turkey.
According to Turkish daily Cumhuriyet, the Mardin Second High Criminal Court in Turkey handed down the sentence because she drew Turkish flags on buildings destroyed by Turkish forces. However, according to Artforum, the court expressed that Doğan’s sharing of the image of her work, featuring current military operations, was the cause for her prison sentence.
Work by Zehra Doğan. Courtesy the Voice Project.
“I was given two years and 10 months [jail time] only because I painted Turkish flags on destroyed buildings. However, [the Turkish government] caused this. I only painted it,” Doğan posted in a now-deleted tweet as reported by online Turkish journalism and human rights platform Turkey Purge.
According to theArt Newspaper, authorities arrested Doğan at a cafe late July, claiming that her artworks proved that she was connected to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by the Turkish government.
“Art and paintings can never be used in such a way,” said Doğan’s lawyer, Asli Pasinli, according to Voice Project, an international organization committed to freedom of expression and creative activism. “This is an attack on art and artistic expression.”
After a two-year cease-fire between Turkish security forces and PKK militants ended, the former have been attempting to clear cities of the latter since July 2015.
According to Amnesty International’s report in December 2016, after violent crackdowns by Turkish authorities, about half a million people were forced from their homes over the past year—which may be considered collective punishment.
In a statement for Fairpress, Doğan said: “[The judge has] punished the wrong actor: Not the one who destroyed the town, […] not the one who shot the photo, but the one who painted the photo. They made this painting, not me.”
Mohammed Riyaz Maulavi, an innocent Madrasa teacher, was brutally murdered by three RSS men while he was sleeping at night inside a mosque in Kasargode. This killing was another in the long line of murders by RSS in Kerala, close on the heels of murdering Faizal in Malappuram, for choosing a religion of his choice. Under the present dispensation, showing maturity and restraint, both the Muslim community and the political leadership averted the communal riots, which the RSS is itching to provoke. The officers of the Kerala police officers who acted promptly in arresting the culprits deserve congratulation. There is also need for the conspiracy angle to be brought into the investigation.
It is interesting that in a state where the police level charges under the Unlawful Prevention of Activities Act (UAPA), often even against authors for writing books, the sections of this otherwise draconian law has not been invoked in connection with this dastardly act of terror. In the interest of the rule of law the Riyaz maulavi case should not follow the trajectory of the similar murder of the elderly Alavikkunju Maulavi of Thevalakkara inside an orphanage at night in 1984 in which nobody was punished.
It is also interesting and quite telling of the Kerala police that the culprits who hurled bombs at the meeting addressed by the CPIM state secretary have not been arrested yet. All this is when RSS is running a vitriolic national campaign against CPIM alleging violence against RSS.
(This has been filed by writer Faizi S from Kerala for Sabrangindia)
The murder of an Imam in Kasargod and the subsequent arrests of three BJP activists has once again highlighted the growing attempts by the Sangh Parivar to disturb the communal harmony in the region.
Riyas Moulavi, a 34-year-old Moulvi who had been teaching at Issathul Islam Madrasa in Choori for nine years, was found murdered with his throat slit in his room adjacent to Muhyudheen mosque at Choori on March 20. Three persons, S Ajesh (20), N Akhilesh (25) and S Nithin (19) were arrested on March 24. The police confirmed the link of the trio with BJP and said the Riyas was the victim of hate crime.
IUML leaders visiting Muhiyudheen mosque, where Riyas was murdered
It is no coincidence that Choori, which falls under the Madhoor Panchayat, which is one of the few places that the BJP has seized power.
“Riyas was a stranger to the accused, and the crime was apparently committed because of communal hate.I don’t see any other reason,” Kannur Crime Branch Superintendent of Police A Srinivas told local media. Srinivas is the head of the special team which investigated the murder.
Choori is swiftly turning into a communal cauldron, mainly due to the BJP’s efforts to reap from the communal polarisation, laxity of police and flow of anti-social elements from outside the panchayat. The perception has been rekindled by the latest of the communal murder series. The Muslim-majority locality surrounded by areas with Hindu majority has been witnessing a surge of minor clashes after 2005. In 2009, a Muslim youth Rishad was murdered by RSS activists while another youth Sabith was stabbed to death in 2013 in the locality.
Choori saw an increase in Muslim population following the migration from Muslim strongholds like Thalangara, Nellikkunnu, and Thuruthi in Kasargod. “Middle-class families can’t afford the land price in these areas. So families started moving here during the 90s in search a more affordable place,” says Abid Basha Muhammed, a Choori resident whose family shifted to the locality from Nellikkunnu.
SDPI activists visiting Riyas’ house
According to residents here, all was well till the early 2000s, after which the Sangh Parivar deliberately created panic taking a cue from Karnataka’s Mangalore, where BJP rose to power by practicing communal politics.
Other political parties also said that BJP resorts to the politics of hatred eyeing the consolidation of Hindu votes in the panchayat.
In Madhoor panchayat, BJP, the ruling party has a lion’s share of panchayat members. United Democratic Front (UDF) won only four seats while BJP bagged 16 seats. “Hindu votes are being swiftly consolidated by BJP. Congress and CPI (M) have almost lost their hold among Hindus here,” says IUML functionary Ashkar Choori.
“No doubt Sangh Parivar is trying to reap political benefits by creating communal riots. They want retaliation from their rivals and take benefits of the bloodshed politics. But their expectation failed to take off as Muslim organisations raised to the occasion by calling for efforts to restore peace,” says Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) Kasargod constituency secretary Kader Arafa.
Lack of Police action is encouraging the culprits
Activists say that the Police action has often been far from encouraging and that this makes it easier for culprits to get bail or acquittal. “Take the Rashid case for example. The charge sheets filed by the police in Rishad’s case had so many loopholes that the accused found it easy to get an acquittal,” said Kader Arafa.
A rally is held by Imam’s Council demanding justice for Riyas in Thiruvananthapuram
Advocate C Shukoor of IUML says that the police ignored the complaint by local political leaders against suspects of Riyas’ murder case. “A few days ago, two suspects of the case Ajesh and Nidhin had threatened the mob by raising a sword during a local badminton tournament. A complaint was issued by the local politicians. But police ignored it,” he said.
Besides, according to Kader, assailants are treated like heroes in BJP strongholds. “The suspects of former cases were accorded royal welcome and they have got new vehicles. BJP is promoting this culture. Unfortunately, the police have not initiated any probe into this kind of deeds,” he said.
The reluctance of police to impose strong charges against the culprits also come under heavy criticism.
“Complaints are pouring against police alleging laxity. No probe is initiated into the conspiracy behind these heinous crimes. IUML leaders have demanded the police impose UAPA on the suspects and look into the conspiracy,” Shukoor said.
Demanding transparency and accountability from the government post de-monetization, the CPI(M) attacked the NDA government for not making public the data on the amount of junked currency deposited in banks post note ban.
Taking on Twitter, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked whether the Modi government is "that incompetent" that it is yet to come out with the numbers.
"Why dont we have the data on amount of old currency notes deposited even now? Is the Modi government that incompetent? Or complicit?" he said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 last year announced scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes a move that was not only criticised by economists nationally and internationally, but one that has been responsible for destroying large sections of the Indian economy.
The RBI and GOI under Modi have been evasive on releasing any such data.
The government had set a deadline of December 30, 2016 to exchange the notes with banks. NRIs and those who could not deposit the invalidated high value notes because they were travelling abroad can deposit the old currencies with RBI until March 31 subject to verification
Eminent constitutional expert Fali Nariman has said that the appointment of Yogi Adityanath as Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister was a beginning of a Hindu State in India.
Photo: Off The Cuff programme
Speaking to journalist Shekhar Gupta on Off The Cuff programme, Nariman asked the journalists why they had not this question to Modi adding that Adityanath’s appointment was sign that India’s constitution was under threat.
He said, “The constitution is under threat. With the massive electoral victory in Uttar Pradesh. With a priest installed at the behest of the prime minister as the chief minister, like a cherry on the victory cake. That’s the signal. And if you can’t see then you must be spokesperson of that political party or you must have your eyes examined.”
“The message is very clear. What you want to do is for all of us to decide..I don’t quite accept the policies of the prime minister. And I say it quite and I say it quite openly,” he added.
Nariman said that the constitution still had the strength but the people who supported the constitution did not.
Taking a swipe at media, he said, “Why’s no correspondent from any leading channel asked the prime minister, ‘prime minister is it true as this fellow Nariman seems to suggest that this is the beginning of the Hindu State.’ Ask him…At least you know what to be prepared for.”
Adityanath was chosen as Uttar Pradesh’s chief by PM Modi after the BJP won a historic landslide by winning 325 out of 403 seats in the state.
Adityanath has been known for being a proponent of militant Hindutva and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be making his maiden visit to Gorakhpur today. There has been much political speculation over the choice of a hard-line, supremacist seer to a constitutional post; whether it was the RSS playing it's own card over and above PM Modi's wishes.
Ahead of the Chief Minister's visit, the wish of his supporters to see 'Yogi as PM in 2024' rose to a high pitch. This could provide some answers.
Since early Saturday morning, thousands of Yogi supporters have thronged the Gorakhnath temple, the residence of the Uttar Pradesh CM, to get a glimpse of him.
Media reports have quoted supporters who have gathered there saying, "The kind of work Yogi Adityanath has started his phenomenal and we want that in 2024, he should become the Prime Minister of the country", said a local from Gorakhpur.
The UP Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to Gorakhpur, the constituency he has represented for the last five terms as a Member of Parliament.
Fear and Intimidation often work in silencing dissent. Days after his comments on Twitter against Adityanath, newly installed CM of UP drew attention and then an FIR, filmmaker Shirish Kunder has apologised on social media. The FIR was registered against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi.
"I unconditionally apologise. I never meant to hurt anyones feelings or sentiment," Kunder posted on his Twitter page.
The FIR against the director was registered yesterday in Lucknow based on a complaint filed by Amit Kumar Tiwari, Secretary of Thakurdwara Trust of Ayodhya.
In a series of tweets, which have now been deleted, Kunder had written, "Hoping a goon will stop rioting once hes allowed to rule is like expecting a rapist to stop raping once hes allowed to rape (sic)".
In another tweet, he had said: "Going by the logic of making a goon as CM so that he behaves, Dawood can be CBI director. And Mallya – RBI Governor (sic)." PTI JCH JCH
US president Donald Trump, who gets on Twitter the moment he wakes up, may be social media’s most prominent politician user, but he is hardly the only one. For the past two decades, world leaders have leveraged the power of the internet to communicate with the public. In some nations, digital tools are part of an effort to increase government transparency and accountability. In others, they are a platform for propaganda, censorship and fake news.
The Conversation Global’s series Politics in the Age of Social Media examines the varied ways that governments around the world rely on digital tools to exercise power.
Can social media create opportunities to identify government pitfalls and challenge problematic policies? Perhaps, but many government are wary of the power that technology exerts over citizens’ political involvement.
When leaders of weak democracies use social media to connect with their constituents, people feel heard. But Twitter responses won’t give citizens what they need.
This is election year for several African countries and there’s a need to ensure social media isn’t used to incite violence. But can governments be prevented from restricting citizens’ rights?
The Centre today insisted in the Supreme Court that Hindi TV channel NDTV India tender an apology for allegedly violating the telecast norms during the Pathankot terror attack last year.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan that the news channel must clearly say that it regrets the unfortunate incident that led to the government’s passing direction for it to go off air for a day in November last year.
Senior advocate Harish Salve appearing for NDTV India said that the channel is ready to furnish a letter clarifying that it carries out responsible journalism.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing on March 31.
On November 8 last year, Rohatgi had informed the court that the decision to ban the transmission on November 9 had been put on hold by the government.
He had said that NDTV would be given a hearing by the inter-ministerial committee before which the channel had made a representation for a review of the decision directing NDTV India to go off the air for allegedly violating the telecast norms.
NDTV has challenged the constitutional validity of the provision of the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act under which the order was issued against it.
The ban was been widely condemned by journalists and editors with all press councils drawing parallels between the move and the Emergency of the 1970s when basic constitutional rights including the freedom of the press were blatantly violated, the channel said on its website.
