According to the topics that engage our journalists and editors in these days one could be forgiven thinking that there is nothing going on. Luckily, they have Anicka Skrlova and Karel Gott – otherwise they would need to invent them.
A lot of space is given to the presidential contest; it is becoming a bit boring.
The media have great power, of course, and it matters a great deal what, when and how they present.
To my horror, this week, I came to realize that even I had been manipulated to form of view of a case on the basis what the press presented about it only.
It was the case of dr Uzunoglu. Unjustly, our prosecution charged him with three murders and with torturing a man.
I have not believed in human justice for a long time now, nevertheless, the Uzunoglu’s case shook me to the core. What happened to him, I could not even imagine as ever happening in a democratic society.
Yekta Uzunoglu (http://www.uzunoglu.info/uvod.html)
is a Kurdish patriot (he translated the Bible and K Capek’s writings into Kurdish language), and a medical doctor, publisher, businessman, founder of Kurdish Centres and co-author of Kurdish Grammar.
Such a man spent two and half years in a Czech prison, and thirteen years of persecution by the Czech judicial system. The Prague Municipal Court quashed all charges against him in July last year. It became clear that case against him had the background amongst the political, economical and police forces.
Reportedly, all about it is contained in the book by Petr Zantovsky called Testimony. I have not read it yet, however, I had a chance yesterday to listen to a very interesting discussion by Petr Vadura on the Czech Radio. From it, I have learned facts about which I did not have any idea whatsoever.
Mr Uzunoglu gave a gripping story about his ancestors and his childhood in Kurdistan and his contacts with Czech Christians. He also told about his adult life and experience with the Czech judicial system.
From the bottom of my heart I recommend to all readers to listen to his testimony. It is not only a shocking evidence of where the Czech society finds itself almost twenty years after the "velvet revolution"; but also it is about the high moral ground, the good of fighting and not giving up.
To listen or download click on
http://www.rozhlas.cz/nabozenstvi/krestanskavlna/_zprava/411211?hodnoceni=1
Seeing that Mr Uzunglu is going to sue the Czech State for compensation, I hope, that justice will this time win, and the Czech State will lose.
It is a matter of the future for all of us. In this context, it is not significant if the next president will be Svejnar or Klaus.
