Backlash against famous author Azra Kohen grows: Ties severed, books removed
Everest Publishing has announced that it has parted ways with author Azra Kohen due to her derogatory social media post regarding Palestinians. The publisher stated, "We have established working relationships with thousands of people solely through their texts. We strive to publish these texts in the best possible way. We cannot read intentions, but once an intention is expressed, we have done what is necessary."
AA
Author Azra Kohen faced a barrage of criticism on social media following her remarks to a follower regarding Palestinians, in which she stated, "Anyone who does not protect their young, who feeds them to others, does not deserve to live."
Following the initial backlash, Everest Publishing, which publishes Azra Kohen's books, disabled comments on its Instagram posts and shared the following statement on its social media account: "We condemn the genocide being carried out against the Palestinian people. This situation, inflicted primarily upon children and women, is a crime against humanity. We believe that all of our authors share our view without the slightest 'but' or 'however.' We want the public to know that no one who legitimizes or praises this great crime against humanity can remain within our publishing group."
'WE HAVE PARTED WAYS'
In a statement issued by Everest Publishing, it was reported that they explicitly condemn the "genocide" against the Palestinian people.
The statement, which included the phrase "Anything to the contrary would be to legitimize a heartless and merciless order," continued as follows:
"We do not believe that those who try to provoke people against us and impose messages they want us to say are sincere. No one can question the sincerity of Everest Publishing on this sensitive issue. As of yesterday, legal proceedings have been initiated against those who have attempted to discredit our publishing house, target us, and create obstacles by sending spam to our social media accounts.
Everest Publishing has published thousands of books across a wide spectrum and is one of our country's leading publishing houses. Our most prominent feature is that we are an independent publisher. We have established working relationships with thousands of people solely through their texts. We strive to publish these texts in the best possible way. We cannot read intentions, but once an intention is expressed, we have done what is necessary. In this context, we would like it to be known that we have parted ways with Azra Kohen."
In addition to Everest Publishing, Kohen's books have been removed from many shopping sites, including "Kitapyurdu," "D&R," and "BKM Kitap."