Doğan Group vows to ‘continue independent publishing’
ISTANBUL
HDP co-chair Demirtaş’s statements about the Doğan Group are speculative and do not reflect the truth.
1) The rejection that we made, on completely legal grounds, of the Bodrum Marina agreement decision has been accepted and the administrative decision has been halted. Negotiations for a permanent resolution of the problem are ongoing.
2) The Doğan Publishing Group’s organizational structure has no CEO position. Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ, who has been the executive president of our media group for years, has responsibility for the coordination of media organs linked to the Doğan Group and the management of publishing policies.
3) Demirtaş’s claims about journalists due either to be sacked or employed by the Doğan Group are baseless.
The Doğan Group, which has been in the media business for 40 years, is loyal to independent publishing principle. It has proven this in every era, including under military regimes when Turkey’s legal system was completely suspended. Our principled position is resolutely maintained under all conditions. Our group, which never hesitates to edit wrong or mistaken news caused by journalism’s deadline-based nature, has no engagement with any political party, formation or ideology. Nevertheless, some who have recently appointed themselves to defame our group aim to create a different perception.
The Doğan Group rejects all kinds of violence and terror and is against them regardless of the aim. It is loyal to the democracy projected by the constitution, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms - primarily freedom of expression. Our group, which supported the recent peace process in the name of the nation’s unity, is against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorism, which threatens the unity of our country, the security of lives, the property of our citizens, and freedoms. Our group also clearly rejects the parallel structure, which was formed out of the judicial system for its own private aims; we believe in the necessity of fighting such structures within the boundaries of the law. Our group supports the principle that the fight against the PKK and other terrorist organizations and parallel structures is a constitutional duty and responsibility.