Cevdet Kılıçlar

Cevdet Kılıçlar
Born 5 May 1972
Kayseri, Turkey
Died 31 May 2010 (aged 38)
International waters of the Mediterranean Sea
Nationality Turkey
Education Marmara University
Occupation Journalist
Religion Sunni Islam
Spouse(s) Derya Kılıçlar
Children Gülhan Kılıçlar
Erdem Kılıçlar
Website
http://www.ihh.org.tr/ne-is-olsa-yaparim--diyerek-gitti/

Cevdet Kılıçlar (5 May 1972[1] – 31 May 2010) was a Turkish journalist[2][3] and photographer[3] from Kayseri. He had been a correspondent of the daily newspaper Anadolu'da Vakit.[4] He was an aid worker and responsible for website of The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (Turkish: İnsan Hak ve Hürriyetleri ve İnsani Yardım Vakfı).[2] He was married to Derya Kılıçlar and had two children, Gülhan and Ali Erdem.[5] He was killed in the Gaza flotilla raid. According to his widow, Derya, he was prepared to become a martyr for the Palestinian cause.[6]

Life

Cevdet Kılıçlar was born in Kayseri in 1972, to mother Hatice and father Hüseyin. He completed primary and secondary education in Pınarbaşı, high school education in Adana and graduated from Marmara University's Faculty of Communications.[2]

Umut Operation

Following graduation he worked as journalist for an Islamist daily newspaper Millî Gazete[7][8] and then an Islamist weekly newspaper Selam. Selam newspaper, which was the publishing organisation of Tevhid Selam, was claimed to be supported by Iran and known its intimacy with the Welfare Party[9] and Turkish Hizbullah.[10] And after the beginning of "Umut Operation" related to the assassination of Ugur Mumcu,[11] on 8 May 2000, as the press coordinator of Selam, he announced that there has been no relationship with the former administrators of Selam for three years[12] after February 28 process.[10] However on 9 May 2000 Selam was raided by Turkish security forces[13] and banned. Because of increasing pressure from the Turkish government he was forced to go to Germany.[14]

To Palestine

After turning back from Germany to Istanbul he worked as correspondent and editor in chief for Islamist daily newspapers Vakit.[2] He was a correspondent in the Palestinian territories and Egypt.[15] In March 2008 as the correspondent of Vakit newspaper, he was staying in Egypt to cross over into Palestine. When he took the picture of wall built by Egyptian government, near the Rafah Border Crossing, he was arrested and interrogated by Directorate of Military Intelligence Services and Reconnaissance of Egypt (Egyptian military intelligence service) for five hours.[16]

Death

Dead body of Cevdet Kılıçlar Source: Iara Lee, Caipirinha Foundation

He participated in Gaza Freedom Flotilla as the webmaster for IHH and foreign press coordinator. According to Turkish investigation, he was killed by a single distant shot to the middle of the forehead[17] by Israel Defence Force's commandos while taking photographs for the IHH on Mavi Marmara ship during Gaza flotilla raid.[18]

The IHH president Fehmi Bülent Yıldırım said:

"Our Cevdet, he is a press member. He has become a martyr. All he was doing was taking pictures. They smashed his skull into pieces. We soon made out that these were real bullets they were firing. Rubber bullets also kill because you shoot at very close range, between one-and-a-half and two meters."[19]

His funeral service was held at the Beyazit Mosque in Istanbul on 4 June 2010. And after Salat al-Janazah he was laid to rest in a coffin at Edirnekapı Martyr's Cemetery beside the grave of Metin Yüksel, who was one of leaders of Akıncılar.[20]

Demetre Plionis, a Greek activist abroad Mavi Marmara said: “A half hour after the attack, despite electronic warfare, the “Mavi Marmara” ship continued to broadcast images on the internet thanks to a sophisticated system run by a Turkish volunteer. Then, I saw him dead after he was shot in the head.” referring to Cevdet Kılıçlar. “The broadcast was discontinued when the person who was running the network was killed,” he added.[21]

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova condemned the killing of Turkish journalist Cevdet Kılıçlar, stating, "I trust that an inquiry that meets international requirements will shed light on the events that led to Cevdet Kılıçlar's death and to the injuring of Indonesian cameraman Sura Fachrizaz."[22]

Ankara Municipality renamed 1433. street at Ankara's Çukurambar's region to his memory as "Şehit Cevdet Kılıçlar Sokağı".[23]

Sources

  1. ↑ Rotamız Filistin Yükümüz İnsani Yardım Filosu Özet Raporu, p. 33. (Turkish)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Atalay, Gazeteci Cevdet Kılıçlar’ın öldürülmesini kınadı", Basın İlan Kurumu Genel Müdürlüğü (Directorate General of Press Advertisement), 4 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Cevdet Kılıçlar'a...", Millî Gazete (National Newspaper), 4 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  4. ↑ "Silah değil, fotoğraf çekmişti", Hürriyet, 5 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  5. ↑ "10 metre uzaktan lazerle vuruldu", Takvim, 3 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  6. ↑ Flotilla activist wanted to be a 'martyr'
  7. ↑ "Bahattin, Faruk, Cevdet ve diğerleri...", Millî Gazete, 6 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  8. ↑ "Cevdet Kılıçlar için ne dediler", Millî Gazete, 18 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  9. ↑ "Sincan’daki 2. cephanede ABD malı C-4", NTV-MSNBC, 16 May 2000, Retrieved 22 June 2010. (Turkish)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Selam, İran destekli", Hürriyet, 9 May 2000, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  11. ↑ "Umut Operation" an abbreviation of "Uğur Mumcu Uzun Takip Operation": begun by State Security Courts of the Republic of Turkey on 6 May 2000.
  12. ↑ "Kimseyle ilgimiz yok", Yeni Şafak, 9 May 2000, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  13. ↑ Bedirhan Toprak (ed.), Cumhuriyetiin 75 Yılı Ek (1998-1999-2000), Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat Yayınları, İstanbul, July 2002, ISBN 975-08-0448-1, p. 75. (Turkish)
  14. ↑ Şükrü Hüseyinoğlu, "Şehidin Arkadaşı Olmak", İslam ve Hayat, 11 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  15. ↑ "Şehid Cevdet Kılıçlar, Yarın Beyazıt'ta Hakka Uğurlanıyor", İsra Haber Ajansı (Isra News Agency), 3 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  16. ↑ "VAKİT muhabirine 5 saatlik sorgu", Vakit, 14 March 2008, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  17. ↑ USAK Analysis: Turkey's final report on the deadly May 31 Israeli Attack
  18. ↑ "İsrail'de hayatını kaybeden gazeteci toprağa verildi", Cumhuriyet, 4 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  19. ↑ "Israel killed more than 9, threw wounded into sea, witnesses say", Today's Zaman, 3 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (English)
  20. ↑ "Ortak acı ortak öfke", Milliyet, 4 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (Turkish)
  21. ↑ "FLOTILLA: Greek Witness: Israeli Forces killed Turkish Activist to Stop Media Broadcast", Intifada, 8 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (English)
  22. ↑ Communication and Information Sector's news service, UNESCO, 15 June 2010, Retrieved 21 June 2010. (English)
  23. ↑ "Gazze şehitlerinin ismi Ankara'da yaşayacak". Haber7. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.

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