Targeted over same-sex marriage debate: 'The right of reply for PASOK MP Ilhan Ahmet'

Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici, in an article titled "The right of reply for PASOK MP Ilhan Ahmet" published on his personal website, addressed an article by Milliyet newspaper editor-in-chief Özay Şendir regarding Ilhan Ahmet, a Turkish-origin MP for PASOK.

Bildirici's assessment is as follows:

Milliyet newspaper editor-in-chief Özay Şendir, in his article "Dirty shadows on the Athens-Ankara line," criticized PASOK's Turkish-origin MP Ilhan Ahmet, accusing him of "trying to be more Greek than the Greeks":

“…I received complaint emails about this person because he voted yes to same-sex marriage last week, but I did not pay attention. After all, he is a member of the Greek parliament; he can make any decision he wishes and feels comfortable with, no one can interfere.

However, the fact that Ilhan Ahmet aligned with Dendias in his interview with Kathimerini is the point that affects all of our lives. Therefore, it is an inevitable consequence that he be questioned here.”

Seven days later, Özay Şendir wrote another article about Ilhan Ahmet titled "The limit of shame in Turkish-Greek relations." He stated that Ilhan Ahmet had sent him a long reply:

“The message summarizes: 'Dendias (Minister of National Defense) is not mentioned in the interview I gave to Kathimerini.' You don't need to mention someone's name to 'align' with them anyway. Dendias and Ilhan Ahmet align on the issue of always looking at Turkey with suspicion and always constructing conspiracy theories.”

He then said, "Let me proceed by proving what I wrote," and provided examples from the past regarding the political stance Ilhan Ahmet has taken; he directed criticisms in a harsher tone than in the first article; and he concluded his piece by comparing Sadık Ahmet and Ilhan Ahmet.

Ilhan Ahmet requested that I examine the matter as "Media Ombudsman"; he also forwarded to me the reply text he sent to Özay Şendir. He had also attached to his message the text of the interview in Kathimerini newspaper that was the subject of Şendir's article.

I examined the articles from both sides. Let me set aside the error in Şendir's article where he wrote "Yunanlı" instead of "Yunan" (Greek).

Of course, as a writer, Şendir may not like Ilhan Ahmet's political stance, but in his first article, he based his criticism on "aligning with Dendias in the interview he gave to Kathimerini." However, he did not specify which sentence or expression in that interview led him to such an interpretation. This is a deficiency; since he drew such a conclusion from that interview, he should have also conveyed the information on how he reached that conclusion to his readers.

Moreover, Özay Şendir did not accurately convey Ilhan Ahmet's reply in his second article. Ilhan Ahmet does not say that "Dendias's name is not mentioned in the interview he gave to Kathimerini"; he says, "In my interview in Kathimerini newspaper, which you cited as your reference point, there is not a single sentence of statement from me on any subject within the authority and responsibility of Defense Minister Dendias"!

In his second article, written upon Ilhan Ahmet's objection, Özay Şendir still does not explain how he reached the conclusion from the Kathimerini interview that "Ilhan Ahmet aligned with Dendias." He says, "You don't need to mention someone's name to 'align' with them anyway," and moves on to other examples.

I cannot know whether he is right in the examples he gave; this could be a subject open to debate. But no matter how many examples Özay Şendir gives, the question of how he reached the conclusion from the Kathimerini interview that "Ilhan Ahmet aligned with Dendias" remains an unanswered question in need of explanation. Furthermore, it cannot be said that Ilhan Ahmet's right of reply was sufficiently respected.

HE ALSO SENT A REPLY TEXT TO AKŞAM

Interestingly, on February 23, the date Özay Şendir wrote his first article about Ilhan Ahmet, Mustafa Kartoğlu, the editor-in-chief of Akşam, also wrote an article in the same vein. In his article titled "An 'assimilated' portrait in Greece," Kartoğlu described Ilhan Ahmet as a "successful example of Greek politics."

Giving examples of Ilhan Ahmet's attitude regarding the Turkish and Muslim minority, Kartoğlu concluded his article by saying, "As cheap as the Ilhan Ahmet profile is, the rejection of him and the assimilation policy he represents by the Western Thrace Turks is just as valuable. The legacy of Sadık, not Ilhan, among the Ahmets tells Turks all over the world a lot." It was also noteworthy that the examples in Kartoğlu's article largely overlapped with those in Şendir's second article.

Ilhan Ahmet sent a reply text to Mustafa Kartoğlu just as he did to Özay Şendir. This text is even longer and, in summary, argues that none of the accusations are true. I believe that Mustafa Kartoğlu will grant Ilhan Ahmet the right of reply in a new article.

It is natural for a writer to criticize a politician, but it is also essential that the claims be true.

News Source: 12punto