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Ragip Zarakolu is a well known Turkish publisher and publisher of books. Among other things, he has written books on the situation of minorities in Turkey. In 2012 he was forced to leave his country: he arrived in Sweden and became a writer for refugees.
Over the years, Zarakolu has produced several notable publications, including the 1915 Armenian Genocide. He says he has fought for justice in Turkey and against the death penalty.
“I have been fighting for justice all my life, so it is sad what is happening in the country,” he says.
Zarakolu had already been jailed in Turkey on charges of legitimizing a terrorist organization. The charges related to a speech he made in 2008. The event where the speech was made was organized by the Peace and Democracy Party, DTP. But Zarakolu was released in 2012 after the protests and the following year he arrived in Sweden.
– That process is still ongoing. He managed to leave Turkey and came to Sweden as a refugee writer, says Elisabeth Löfgren.
Voted for Erdogan Chronicle
In 2018, an Istanbul court submitted a request to Interpol for the arrest of Zarakolu. Then he was suspected of having helped the PKK, the Kurdistan Labor Party, which is marked by the EU and the US. USA, among others. According to the Turkish decision, Zarakolu was arrested: “because he is a member of an armed terrorist organization.” The Swedish Supreme Court made the decision on its table, but in December last year it was decided not to reveal Zarakolu because it violates the extradition law.
– Since the so-called coup attempt, thousands of people have been arrested and there are huge terrorist laws in which you can basically put anything. There are an incredible number of people who have no connection to terrorist activities and certainly don’t have Ragip either. He has written extensively on the Armenian Genocide and many different human rights issues, says Elisabeth Löfgren.
Zarakolu recently wrote a chronicle in the Evrensel and Artigercek newspapers.
The chronicle “You cannot flee from your destiny” deals with the situation in Turkey, President Erdogan and its future. Comparisons are made between Erdogan and the country’s former prime minister, Adnan Mendere, from the 1960s, who were convicted of treason to death.
– When Adnan Mendere came to power, he allowed some freedom of expression and several parties in the country were able to operate. But then he began to eliminate all rights, which ended with his death sentence, explains journalist Kurdo Baksi, who translated it from Turkish.
“I’m not afraid”
In the chronicle, a comparison is made between Erdogan’s future destiny and what happened to Mendere.
– When Erdogan and his party took power, they produced a democratic program and promised democracy. But then they changed the line, which is sad, says Zarakolu.
For the Chronicle, the Turkish state has sued Zarakolu for violating the Republic’s order and the country’s president. The president himself has also asked his lawyer to file a lawsuit against Zarakolu.
– You don’t just persecute those in Turkey and express dissenting criticism or opinion. Without trying to reach even those outside the country, says Elisabeth Löfgren.
The president thinks that the chronicle is seen as a threat to a coup d’etat and because the images of Erdogan and Mendere are side by side, the chronicler wants to see that Erdogan ends his life in the same way as Mendere.
“They have published photos of me with a rope around my neck”
According to Zarakolu, the chronicle is not about a coup at all, but quite the opposite.
– They have interpreted the Chronicle completely wrong, and probably have not read it enough. Throughout my life I have seen horrors and I am in favor of human rights, says Zarakolu.
After the Chronicle, state-controlled media is campaigning against Zarakolu, he says.
– They have published photos of me with a rope around my neck. Of course, I see it as a threat. But I am not afraid. I’m glad to stay alive. I am 72 years old now, but it is sad. I don’t feel sorry for myself, but for my country.
Zarakolu is married in Sweden, has a residence permit and is seeking Swedish citizenship, but the Swedish Migration Board has announced that they are unable to process their application at this time.
– It goes without saying that Sweden and the EU must be extremely clear about the situation in Turkey. In connection with the crown pandemic, we now see that many countries, including Turkey, are trying to further tighten the trap around dissent. President Erdogan appears to have extremely tender tears and has sued others in the past, including a German satirist whom he wanted to extradite, says Elisabeth Löfgren.
