Turkish MPs condemn Ragip Zarakolu’s arrest

PanARMENIAN.Net - Co-chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Selahattin Demirtas and BDP Istanbul deputy Sirri Sureyya Onder together signed books at the book stand of the Belge publishing house, which was established by arrested publisher, writer and activist Ragip Zarakolu.

“We are here today for Ragip Zarakolu as well as all other arrested intellectuals and journalists. Zarakolu built this publishing house with a major effort. We condemn his arrest,” Demirtas said at a press meeting at the TUYAP Book Fair in Istanbul yesterday.

Both Demirtas and Onder signed books for those who bought books from the Belge publishing house. Among the most sold were books on Kurdish history and Ahmet Sэk’s book “000Kitap.” The manuscript for “000Kitap” was seized by the police before it was published in March. The book was released yesterday by some 125 journalists, activists and academics, who co-authored the book.

Stressing the arrests of journalists Ahmet Sэk, Nedim Sener as well as academic Busra Ersanli and publisher Zarakolu, Demirtas said the government was making a big mistake.

“Unfortunately we see that understanding of the law has failed in Turkey. The prime minister thinks what he is doing is democracy. But this is a major mistake,” Demirtas said.

Publisher Ragip Zarakolu, along with 43 others, was arrested on Nov. 1 in connection with the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case, Hurriyet Daily News reported.