Nationality Turkish Siblings Mehmet Altan Children Two | Name Ahmet Altan Role Journalist | |
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Full Name Ahmet Husrev Altan Born 1950 (age 64–65) Ankara, Turkey Occupation Editor-in-chief and lead columnist of Taraf (2007–2012) Relatives Cetin Altan (father), Mehmet Altan (brother) Education Istanbul University, Middle East Technical University, Robert College, TED Ankara Koleji Books Cheating, Dangerous Tales, Trace on the Water, Love in the Days of Rebellion, Like a Sword Wound Similar People Mehmet Altan, Yasemin Congar, Cetin Altan, Nese Duzel, Alper Gormus | ||
Grandparents Halit Bey, Nurhayat Hanim Parents Kerime Altan, Cetin Altan | ||
A Brave Heart: Ahmet Altan | Journalists Jailed in Turkey
Ahmet Hüsrev Altan (born 1950) is a Turkish journalist and author. A working journalist for more than twenty years, he has served in all stages of the profession, from being a night shift reporter to editor in chief in various newspapers.
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Biography
He was born 1950 in Ankara, Turkey to the notable journalist and writer Çetin Altan as the first of two sons. His brother Mehmet Altan is also a journalist, writer and university professor of economy politics.
Career
In addition to having written columns in several Turkish newspapers, including Hürriyet, Milliyet and Radikal, Altan has produced news programming for television.
He was fired from Milliyet after writing a column on 17 April 1995 titled "Atakurd", which presented an alternate history of Turkey.
In 2007 he became the founding editor in chief and lead columnist of Taraf, a daily Turkish newspaper, and remained in the position until his resignation in December 2012.
In September 2008 when Altan published an article titled "Oh, My Brother" dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, he was charged under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for "denigrating Turkishness". The judicial claim was initiated by the far-right "Great Union Party."
Altan, along with some of his Taraf associates, usually carries a firearm for self-protection.
On December 14, 2012, Ahmet Altan, who was founding editor-in-chief of the daily Taraf since 2007, resigned from his post. With him stepped down his assistant editor Yasemin Çongar, and Neşe Tüzel. The next day, columnist Hadi Uluengin followed the leaving group of journalists.
During Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état on September 23, 2016, Altan, was arrested. He is accused of sending "subliminal messages" to encourage 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt planners.
In September 2017, while banned from written communications, Altan produced an essay The Writer's Paradox in which he says: 'I am writing these words from a prison cell ... But wait. Before you start playing the drums of mercy for me listen to what I will tell you ... They may have the power to imprison me but no one has the power to keep me in prison. I am a writer.' The essay was published on 18 September 2017, on the eve of Altan's trial: in English by The Society of Authors (translated by Yasemin Çongar) and in the original Turkish by English PEN.
As the trial began, many authors spoke out in support of Altan. Neil Gaiman said "I hope that everyone who can read, whatever their politics, reads Ahmet Altan's response to his imprisonment. Repressive regimes hope that if they lock up writers they are also locking up ideas. This will always fail." and Joanne Harris said "Writers exist to question, to challenge, sometimes even to ridicule - the status quo. For a government to imprison a writer for doing this is to attack, not only freedom of speech, but freedom of the imagination. It is a backward, oppressive and ultimately futile gesture that can only lead to greater and more damaging social unrest."