POLITICS-TURKEY: Hizbollah Tapes Stir Up Debate

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Nadire Mater

ISTANBUL, Feb 11 2000 (IPS) - Turkish media are divided over the public airing of video-tapes showing the torture and execution of Hizbollah victims.

This has stirred a debate on ‘public right of access to information’.

The tapes were seized during the ongoing crack-down on the fundamentalist Islamist organisation.

While one group argues that “the public should be informed of the full truth” no matter how horrifying, others say the tapes will compromise the rights of those implicated to a ‘just trial’.

The Ministry of Interior, who had initially refused to show copies of the video-tapes to the media, last week invited a select group of media leaders to watch the scenes of horror.

Apparently select groups of officials such as judges and prosecutors have also been allowed to watch the tapes.

“In journalistic terms I am fully against airing these tapes. I see no public benefit in airing detailed scenes of torture and strangalation,” says Ahmet Hakan of TV channel ‘Kanal7’.

“The idea further contradicts the basic principle of ‘fair- trial’, as these tapes are still a part of the evidence in the ongoing prosecution and they should remain confidential until the trial begins,” he says.

Aysenur Arslan of ‘aTV’ agrees. “Even if the police hand over the tapes we have already decided not to air them. They provoke violence, comprise a model for repetition of similar acts, and destroy the audience’s psychological integrity,” says Arslan.

She says apart from the ethical and journalistic concerns, “as a mother and as a woman I am also ethically against presenting such instances of horror to the public,” she says.

Journalists who were allowed to watch the tapes report that most of the audience were unable to sit through the viewing. They say the tapes contained horrific scenes of brutal torture of victims being forced to confess their sins against Hizbollah.

As a rule the interrogation sessions were reportedly concluded with the brutal, cold blooded execution of the victims who were slowly strangled to death.

“I am yet to recover from the effects of the horrifying scenes. Even if we had the opportunity we would refuse to air them. There is no use both journalistically and ethically,” says Okan Gokce of TV Channel TGRT.

However the daily newspaper, Sabah, has been campaigning for the tapes to be shown publically. It claims to have conducted a public opinion poll in which “55.8 percent of the Turkish public support the airing of the tapes and 21.4 percent are indifferent”.

“Those who say ‘yes’ would like them aired for free access to information, for the organisation’s exposure, and for correct understanding of the dimensions of violence in the name of religion,” says editor Gungor Mengi.

“However, this is not a point to be decided by the government. The guarantee for public mental health is not censorship but correct information. And the public asks for it. But this should be decided by judges not by the ministers,” he adds.

Media analyst, Haluk Sahin, says there are no universally accepted measures regarding the airing of scenes of violence except warnings of ‘prudence’ and for the broadcasting of such scenes during late hours in order to protect children.

“On the contrary, if violence is an indivisible part of a report, its coverage is deemed appropriate. The issue is related to public right to free access to information. I would broadcast them (the tapes) if I had the power to,” Sahin says.

Hikmet Sami Turk, Turkish Minister of Justice is against airing the tapes for judicial concerns. “The issue will be decided by the judges when the trial begins. Until then the prosecution is confidential and it should remain so,” says Turk.

“The idea also contradicts the press law. You must refrain from coverage of anything that might impact the conclusion of an ongoing trial. You should also protect the rights of the relatives of the victims,” he says.

Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu is reported to be concerned that the tapes will harm Turkey’s already tainted image. “Enough is enough! We have already lost four to five billion dollars last year. Such scnes would certainly deter tourists from visiting Turkey, and we cannot afford this,” he told journalists.