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The Kurdish journalist, Musa Anter, known as Apê (Uncle) Musa, was murdered in Diyarbakir (Amed) province in southeast Turkey as a result of an attack by the Turkish intelligence agency JİTEM – (Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-Terrorism Unit) on 20 September 1992.
Various commemorations are to be held for Anter in different parts in Turkey including his home town, on the 29th anniversary of his death. The Tigris and Euphrates Journalists Association (DFG) will hold commemoration events for Anter in Diyarbakir and Mardin on 20 September. The first event will be held in Diyarbakir’s Seyrantepe district, where he was murdered. The commemoration, which begins at 11 am, will be attended by Saliha Aydeniz, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), representatives of other political parties and NGOs, and journalists.
After the ceremony here, another commemoration is planned at 3 pm at Apê Musa’s tomb in Akarsu (Sitîlîlê) in the Nusaybin (Nisêbîn) district of Mardin. However, the governor’s office has decided to ban all activities in Mardin for 15 days because of the planned commemoration in Akarsu, where Musa’s tomb is located, MA reports.
Claiming that the organisers of the commemoration for Apê Musa are associated with the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), the governor’s office said in a statement that “Musa Anter, who published the newspaper Ileri Yurt, was killed in an armed attack in the Seyrantepe neighborhood of Diyarbakir on 20 September 1992. Commemorative events have been arranged by the PKK at his grave in Akarsu in Nusaybin, Mardin…”
Anter was a much-respected writer and journalist who dedicated his life to the freedom struggle of his people and is still well-known today by people in Turkey and worldwide who are committed to defending human rights and a free press.
The Musa Anter and Free Press Martyrs Journalism Competition has been organised in Turkey in his memory every year since his death. This year’s winners have been announced, and the awards are to be presented at a ceremony at 6 pm on 20 September at the Istanbul’s Şişli Municipality Cemil Candaş City Cultural Centre.
Anter’s daughter Rahşan Anter spoke to MA about her father on the anniversary of his murder. She explained her father’s dedication to the freedom of expression as follows:
“My father was not a politician, he was a writer, an enlightened, wise man. He was a man who never gave up his quest for truth. He was imprisoned after several military coups in the country. He spent 11 years of his life in prison. He was tortured many times. The government repeatedly made threats against his children to make him stop journalism. But my father never compromised his values. He always fought for the Kurdish people.” she said.
