OZGUDEN-TUGSAVUL

The founders of Info-Turk, Dogan Özgüden and Inci Tugsavul work and carry on fight together for more than 40 years.

Son of a railwayman family and born in Kalecik (Ankara) in 1936, Özgüden passed all his childhood years in Anatolian villages. He made his high school education in Ankara and got a licence diploma from the Higher School of Economic and Commercial Sciences (YETO) in Izmir.

He began journalism career in 1952 in Izmir. After having worked at the newspapers Ege Günesi, Sabah Postasi, Milliyet and Öncü in Izmir, Gece Postasi and Sosyal Adalet in Istanbul, he directed as chief editor and main editorialist the most important left-wing daily Aksam (1964-66).

Engaged in the left-wing movement, Özgüden militated in the Workers' Party Of Turkey (TIP) from 1962 and elected to this party's central committee in 1964.

Born in 1940 in Ankara, Inci Tugsavul-Özgüden had her higher education at the Faculty of Law of the Ankara University. She began journalism career in 1961 at the daily Hür Vatan and the weekly Kim, later worked at the dailies Hareket (1962-63) and Aksam (1964-66).

Tugsavul was awarded with the Prize of Journalist of the Year in 1962 by the Journalists' Trade Union of Ankara and in 1963 by the Journalists' Association of Istanbul.

Özgüden and Tugsavul founded and directed the socialist review Ant and the Ant Publishing House (1967-71). Both were accused more than 50 times of having committed "crime of opinion" in the articles that they wrote or published. After the military coup of 1971, Ant was closed down. Threatened by a total of more than 300-year imprisonment, they had to leave Turkey.

In Europe they organized the Democratic Resistance of Turkey with other opponents in exile in order to mobilize European public opinion against the Junta’s repressive regime.

Since 1974, they edit in Brussels the Info-Turk Agency which informs the world opinion of the situation of human rights in Turkey (http://www.info-turk.be)

and lead the Sun Workshops (Ateliers du Soleil), a multicultural permanent education organization (http://www.ateliersdusoleil.be).

After the 1980 military coup, Özgüden and Tugsavul were respectively chairman and responsible for publication of the Union for Democracy in Turkey (DIB), founded in Europe for resisting against the military junta.

Along with more than 200 other opponents of the regime in exile, they were deprived of their Turkish nationality in 1982 because of their criticisms against the military junta. Although this decision was annulled after ten years, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has declined to give them a written guarantee that they would not be indicted or imprisoned for the accusations that the same ministry communicated earlier to the European Human Rights Commission.

On the contrary, more than 30 years after the military coup, the Turkish Justice indicted Dogan Özgüden in 2002 for insulting army chiefs because of his article criticizing putschist generals. The tribunal ordered his arrest at the checkpoint if he returns to Turkey in order to judge him. The trial restarted later on according to Article 301 of the new Turkish Penal Code has been suspended unti to his arrestation in the case of returning to Turkey.

One of the former leading members of the Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC), the Journalists' Trade Union (TGS) and the Ethical Council of the Press (BSD) in Turkey, Dogan Özgüden is now a member the Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC), the Association of Professional Journalists of Belgium (AGJPB), the Brussels Center of Intercultural Actions (CBAI), the Human Rights League of Belgium (LDDH) and the Movement Against Racism and Xenophobia (MRAX).

He is author of many books and studies, mainly On Fascism (1965, Istanbul), On Capitalism (1966, Istanbul), File on Turkey (1972, France), Turkey, Fascism and Resistance (1973, The Netherlands; 2006, Belgium), Mass media and Turkish Migrants (1983), The Portrait of Turkish Migration (1984), Black Book on the Militarist "Democracy" in Turkey (1986), Extreme Right in Turkey (1988).

Former member of the Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC) and the Journalists' Trade Union (TGS ), Inci Tugsavul-Özgüden is now member of the International Press Association (API) in Brussels. She is the author of the Introduction to the Classical Music (1965, Istanbul) and Turkish Women (1991, Brussels).

Dogan Özgüden and Inci Tugsavul interviewed by TV Brussel in 1994

Thanks to Dogan Özgüden by
the Journalists' Association of Turkey
tgc

The Administrative Board of the Journalists' Association of Turkey (TGC), met on November 4, 2007, unanimously decided to present to Journalist Dogan Özgüden a letter of thanks within the frame of the Burhan Felek Prize, because of his "distinguished services made to the Turkish press for over 50 years." The decision was transmitted to Özgüden, who cannot enter his country because of a number of prosecutions for his opinions, by a letter signed by Orhan Erinç and Celal Toprak, respectively Chairman and Secretary General of the Journalists' Association of Turkey. The Turkish Justice indicted Dogan Özgüden in 2002 for insulting army chiefs because of his article criticizing putschist generals. The tribunal ordered his arrest at the checkpoint if he returns to Turkey in order to judge him. The trial that restarted later on according to Article 301 of the new Turkish Penal Code has been suspended unti his arrestation in the case of returning to Turkey.

Dogan Özgüden and his wife Inci Tugsavul, both editors of Info-Türk, had already received in 2006 the Ayse Zarakolu Prize for defense of freedom of thought, attributed by the Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD).

The Ayse Zarakolu Freedom of Thought Prize
attributed to Info-Türk editors

The Istanbul Section of the Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD) has decided to attribute the Ayse Zarakolu Prize for Freedom of Thought (2006) to Info-Turk editors Dogan Özgüden and Inci Tugsavul along with three other human rights defenders, Zülküf Kisanak, Seferi Yilmaz and Emin Karaca. The prize award ceremony will take place in Istanbul on March 8, 2006, on the occasion of the International Women Day.

Since Özgüden and Tugsavul cannot enter their country because of legal proceedings, publisher and human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu came to Brussels on February 24, 2006, and announced the IHD's decision at the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) General Meeting held at the International Press Center. Later on, he presented Özgüden and Tugsavul the prize.

... images from 1953 up to 2008...

1953: Özgüden (2nd from left) with the editorial board and technical team
of the only opposition daily of Izmir, Sabah Postasi

avec Cihat Arman

1954: Özgüden's first interview, with the captain of the Turkish national football team, Cihat Arman

1954: Özgüden, one of the leading members of the Joiurnalists' Union of Izmir (first rank, second at left)

1954: Özgüden with Ismet Inönü, the 2nd President of Republic of Turkey and the main opposition leader at the time

cemiyet

1955: Özgüden at the Convention of the Journalists' Association of Izmir

yedeksubay

1957: Özgüden during his military service at the Reserved Officers Training Center in Mamak-Ankara

paris-nato

November 1958: Özgüden during the visit of a group of Turkish journalists to the NATO Headquarters in Paris.With Chief Commander
General Lauris Norstad are also journalists Abdi Ipekçi, Cetin Altan, Ilhami Soysal, Mücahit Beser and Naim Tirali

ozguden-ecevit

1959: Özgüden, representing the daily Milliyet (third from left),
at the press conference of Bülent Ecevit (second from right) , futur prime ministrer after 1973

nato

1959: During a press conference in Izmir by the commanders of the NATO's
6th Tactical Air Forces (SIXATAF), General Suarez and General Irfan Tansel,

ambassadeurUS

April 1960: Dogan Özgüden, Ilhan Esen and Nejat Türkeri, representatives of the dailies Milliyet, Hürriyet and Aksam,
wxith US Ambassador Warren after his press conference in Izmir.

1960: Özgüden, representing the daily Milliyet, with General Cemal Gürsel, Chief of State from 1960 until 1965,
before his departure from Izmir for taking over the post of head of the State on May 27.

cemalsureya

1960: Milliyet representative Özgüden with Cemal Süreya, poet and Finance Ministry's inspector,
during a legal investigation at the farm of former Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in Aydin.

1961: Tugsavul, correspondent of the daily Hür Vatan, interviews Soprano Suna Korad of the Turkish State Opera

tuggeneral

1961: Özgüden at the press conference of General Sevket Ozan,
first secretary general of the National Security Council (MGK)

tugsavul-yalman-gunes

1962: Tugsavul with the doyen of the Turkish press, Ahmet Emin Yalman,
and Deputy Turan Günes, futur foreign affairs minister

1963: Tugsavul, correspondent of the daily Hareket, at the press conference of Colonel Talat Aydemir,
leader of the rebelling officers, just before their attempt of coup

tgc

1963: Tugsavul, after having been awarded with the Prize of Journalist of the Year by the Journalists' Association of Istanbul (IGC),
with IGC Chairman Burhan Felek, Interior Minister Hifzi Oguz Bekata, Istanbul Governor Niyazi Aki,
Chief Editor of Milliyet Abdi Ipekçi and other awarder journalists

inci-gursel

1964: Tugsavul with President of the Republic Cemal Gürsel at the Presidential Palace

timbergen

1964: Tugsavul with Duetch Professor Jan Tinbergen, advisor of the State Planning Organization (DPT).

ozguden-syndicat

1964: Özgüden, delegate of the Journalists' Union of Istanbul,
addressing to a meeting of the delegates of all sectors' trade unions in Istanbul

After the meeting, Özgüden with trade union leaders and delegates

inci-yul brynner

1964: Tugsavul interviews cinema actor Yul Brynner in Ankara

1965: Özgüden, chief editor of Aksam, the most important left-wing daily of Turkey

1965: Özgüden with Prof. Muammer Aksoy at a conference-debate against
the exploitation of foreign oil companies in Turkey, organized by university youth

dogan-cetin-ilhan

1966: Özgüden addressing to conference-debate on the workers' resistance, together with three other left-wing journalists,
Cetin Altan, Ilhan Selcuk, Ayperi Akalan and movie director Beklan Algan

islam-rahmi

1966: Özgüden and Tugsavul, editors of the daily Aksam,
with their colleagues Rahmi Turan and Islam Cupi, sport editors of the same daily.

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1967: Özgüden, chief editor of the socialist weekly Ant, at the military court of the 1st Turkish Army in Istanbul,
with Inci Tugsavul and journalist Hüseyin Bas.
He is accused by the Chief of General Staff of unveling the plans to install nuclear mines in Eastern Turkey

1968: Özgüden and Tugsavul with their friend Barbro Karabuda, reporter of Swedish televisions

1968: Özgüden talking with the US trade union leader Walter Reuther during his visit to Istanbul

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1968: Özgüden and Tugsavul preparing the socialist weekly Ant

1968: Özgüden and Tugsavul at the Istanbul Convention of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP)

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1970: Özgüden with Ragip Zarakolu (at right) during preparations of the review Ant

1971: Özgüden at the first year of his exile in Sweden

1973: Özgüden in Paris with one of the oldest political migrants from Turkey:
Professor Fahrettin Petek

1974: Özgüden and Tugsavul at the first editorial office of Info-Türk at Chaussée de Ninove in Anderlecht

1975: Özgüden and Tugsavul at the May Day Demonstration in Brussels with migrant workers from Turkey

1976: Özgüden addressing to the evening for hommage to Nazim Hikmet, great Turkish poet died in exile

1977: Tugsavul preparing at Info-Türk's graphic workshop resistance posters and flyers against the Ankara regime

1980: Özgüden at a protest demonstration in font of the
Turkish Embassy in Brussels with other opponents of the Ankara regime

1981: Özgüden and Tugsavul welcome at their home Behice Boran, chairwoman of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TIP),
exiled in Belgium after the September 12th, 1980 Coup in Turkey

1981: Özgüden, president of the Union for Democracy in Turkey (DIB), addressing to the evening in protest
against the military junta, organized at the Ancienne Belgique Hall in Brussels

1981: Özgüden addressing the Kurdish evening organized by Tekoser

1982: Özgüden and Tugsavul at the anti-fascist stand of
the resistants from Turkey during the Red Flag Festival in Brussels

1982: Tugsavul with immigrant children at the anti-racist demonstration in Brussels

1983: Özgüden with Piet Dankert, Speaker of the European Parliament, at the Cartoons Exhibition
organized by Info-Türk at the International Press Center in Brussels

1983: Özgüden,at the same exhibition, with Member of European Parliament Ernest Glinne
and Secretary General of the World Labour Confederation (CMT) Jan Kulakowski

1987: Dogan özgüden, who participated at a conference in Holland organized on the social history of Turkey
by the International Institutute of Social History, together with Murat Belge and Oya Baydar.

1993: Özgüden and Tugsavul with Julos Beaucarne at the vernissage of the exhibition of Sun Workshops

1996: Özgüden training Sun Workshops members on editing a book

1997: Özgüden with Prime Minister of Brussels Charles Picqué and Chairman of
Lire et Ecrire Alain Leduc during the celebration of Alphabetisation Day

1998: Özgüden with Prime Minister of Brussels Charles Picqué, MinisterEric Tomas, Chairman of
Lire et Ecrire Alain Leduc during the opening of the Alphabetisation Day celebrated at the Sun Workshops

1999: Tugsavul and Özgüden at the vernissage of the 25th Anniversary Exhibition of the Sun Workshops,
opened by Schaerbeek Mayor Francis Duriau

2000: Tugsavul and Özgüden with Martine Payfa, Speaker
of the COCOF Assembly of Brussels Region, during her visit to the Sun Workshops

2001: Özgüden with Derwich Ferho, Chairman of the Brussels Kurdish Institute,
during a conference on the Kurdish Question at the European Parliament in Brussels

2003: Opening, at the Sun Workshops, of the campaign "Peace, it startas among us",
organized in partnership
with Mrax, LDDH, CNAPD, CBAI, Collectif Alpha and the Center for Chances Equality

2004: Özgüdenwith state Secretary Hutchinson and Lire et Ecrire Chairman Alain Leduc
at the stand of Sun Workshops at the occasion of "Alpha Spring"