Metin Göktepe commemorated at his graveside

Evrensel Newspaper reporter Metin Göktepe, who was beaten to death by police while in custody 28 years ago, was commemorated at his graveside in Kemer Cemetery in Esenler, Istanbul.

LIST OF ATTENDEES

The commemoration was attended by Evrensel Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hakkı Özdal, Metin Göktepe's family, Labour Party (EMEP) Chairman Seyit Aslan, SOL Party Istanbul Provincial Administrators Azizcan Kılıç and Ufuk Aktan, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, DEM Party Istanbul Provincial Co-Chair Murat Kalmaz, EHP Party Spokesperson Özge Akman, Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) Provincial Spokesperson Melis Akyürek, CHP MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu, DEM Party MP Celal Fırat, Labour Party Istanbul MP İskender Bayhan, DİSK Regional Representative Asalettin Arslanoğlu, Sami Elvan, the father of Berkin Elvan who lost his life during the Gezi Resistance, DEM Party Council Member Musa Piroğlu, the Divriği Culture Association, the Federation of Alevi Associations of Turkey, Serkan Düz from the TKP Istanbul Provincial administration, Gökhan Kazbek on behalf of Sol Portal, members of the Labour Party, TGS Chairman Gökhan Durmuş, TGS Istanbul Branch President Özgür Deniz Kaya, DİSK Press-Work Board Member İzel Sezer, the Saturday People, IHD Branch President Gülseren Yoleri, and numerous journalists.

According to Evrensel, slogans such as “A free press has not been silenced and will not be silenced,” “Metin Göktepe is immortal,” and “We are all Metin in defiance” were frequently chanted at the commemoration, where placards reading “Release imprisoned journalists,” “Metins do not die, Evrensel is not silenced,” and “Evrensel writes, Metin lives” were carried.

"WE WILL NOT LET METİN BE FORGOTTEN"

Evrensel Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hakkı Özdal stated that Metin was murdered as a result of the anger that the path the newspaper would follow—as a newly established publication at the time—aroused in the state and capital. Özdal continued his words as follows: “Metin Göktepe was murdered during a period in the 90s in Turkey when the Kurdish issue was being militarized and the country was being drowned in violence, while at the same time, laborers in large cities were being besieged by religious and nationalist influences, and a civilian wing of this total attack was directed at the press. We are living through the results of the seeds sown in the 90s today. However, the painful loss of Metin Göktepe left behind a longing and anger that will live on in the future generations of our newspaper. We learned something we already knew through a painful loss.”

"METİN GÖKTEPE IS OUR COLLEAGUE"

Stating that they have seen the kind of hostility faced by journalism that stands with the working class, labor, and all the oppressed, Özdal said, “We possess his courage. We strive to possess his agility. We will continue to do so from now on. Metin Göktepe is our colleague. With this mark he left on us, he is present in every editorial meeting we have. He is in all our activities. He is by the side of our journalist friends, our reporter friends. He whispers things to them. Metin Göktepe is still the most senior employee of Evrensel Newspaper. We will not forget him. We will not let him be forgotten; we will tell the working class about Metin, just as we will tell new journalists and young generations of journalists about him.”

"GREETINGS TO THE PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN JAIL"

Taking the floor afterwards, Göktepe’s sister Meryem Göktepe began her speech by saying, “Welcome to all press workers who continue their profession with persistence, Metin’s companions, his newspaper, the Journalists Association of Turkey, and everyone who did not allow this horrific murder to be covered up.” Stating that she also brought greetings from his mother, Fadime Göktepe, Meryem Göktepe said, “Fatih Polat says, and I love using this sentence, that Metin was a journalist who would go and get the news even if it were behind a barricade. We don't have very good news to give Metin. Thought is still a crime. People are still in prisons because of their thoughts. Including the Gezi prisoners. We were all at Gezi, but a few of our friends are currently imprisoned. Labor exploitation is increasing exponentially. Poverty affects our lives in ways we never imagined.

However, Metin left something behind. A positive legacy. There are still young journalists who want to practice Metin Göktepe-style journalism, who are doing it, who are following in his footsteps, and who are chasing the truth. Despite all that oppression, despite all those intimidations, suppressions, investigations, and detentions, there are young journalists who carry it on. From here, I say greetings to those young journalists and prisoners of conscience who are in jail,” she said.