The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) organized on Monday 12th September a press briefing on : Turkey’s failed coup: implications for journalists, unionists and human rights activists
- with Sanar Yurdatapan, IFEX Turkey (Initiative for Freedom of Expression-Turkey)
- moderated by Mehmet Koksal, EFJ-IFJ & journalist
Şanar Yurdatapan is a composer and human rights activist. Born in Susurluk (Turkey) in 1941, he became well-known as a composer and song-writer during the 1970s. In 1979, he established DEMAR (Democratic Artists Community). Following the military coup of 1980, he left Turkey with his (ex-) wife Melike Demirag – a singer and film actress – and went to Germany where they were obliged to live in exile for over 11 years. The Turkish military regime stripped them of their citizenship in 1983. They were able to return to Turkey in December 1991.
Şanar is the initiator of Freedom of Expression Initiative -1995-, committing civil disobedience actions by republishing banned articles. He received the « Global Human Rights Defender Award » by Human Rights Watch in 2002. He is regularly attending press trials and initiating civil disobedience actions to defend journalists and human rights activists.
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Mehmet Koksal ｜mehmet@europeanjournalists.org｜T: +32 235 22 09 ｜skype : mehmet-ips｜Project Officer, Journalist, Fixer｜European Federation of Journalists｜www.europeanjournalists.org ｜Rue de la Loi, 155 – Brussels / Belgium