Journalist Dogan Özgüden, humanist and defender of human and minority rights, has been target of a new lynching campaign launched by Turkish negationists and ultranationalists.

On the occasion of the centenary commemorations of the 1915 Genocide, these circles develop a campaign of slander and aggression (as happened in 2008) whose target is again Dogan Özgüden.

A website at the service of negationists launched this campaign by publishing slanders against Özgüden under the signature of the Honorary Chairman of the Ataturkist Thought Association in Belgium.

See details: http://www.info-turk.be/441.htm#44e

The democratic public opinion knows very well Mr. Özgüden, his work as a journalist for 60 years, his uncompromising struggle against injustice, his resolute stand against the powers in Turkey, his worthy attitude on the reality of the genocide of 1915, and is very well aware of the fact that this attitude makes him a prime target of the Turkish state and the negationists and nationalist circles.

The tolerance maintained for over 20 years to these circles has served to the growth of aggressiveness in Belgian territories and led to a greater confinement of a part of the population of Turkish origin.

If these circles can make today such threats, it is also result of inaction by certain Belgian political parties that have allowed by their political opportunism the invasion of the negationist ideology orchestrated by the Turkish state.

No slander can tarnish the image of Dogan Özgüden, but knowing the verbal and physical aggression of these negationist and ultranationalist circles, we tell them that Dogan is not alone. We the signatories of this appeal give him all our support and call the Belgian authorities to a greatest vigilance against these threats.

Brussels, May 13, 2015

Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Belgium
Armenian Youth Federation of Belgium
Armenian National Committee of Belgium-HAYTAD (FDFA)
ARF – Dashnaktsutiun Belgium Committee
Association des Arméniens Démocrates de Belgique
Ateliers du Soleil
ATIK (Confédération des Ouvriers de Turquie en Europe)
Centre Culturel Kurde de Bruxelles
Centre Social Arménien
Collectif d’immigres en Belgique
Comité des Arméniens de Belgique
European Armenian Federation for Justice & Democracy
European Syriac Union
Fédération des Araméens (Syriaque) de Belgique
Fédération des Associations Kurdes en Belgique
Fédération Union des Alévis en Belgique- FUAB
Fondation Info-Türk
HAYASA – Armenian Student Association of Belgium
Institut Assyrien de Belgique
Institut Kurde de Bruxelles
La Maison des Yézidis
La Maison du peuple – Bruxelles

Contact – Iletişim:
[email protected]
Tel: 32-489-739 701

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