Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), Turkish Publishers Association, Turkish Journalists Union, Turkish Writers Union and PEN Writers Association applied to the Ministry of Justice to re-examine the files regarding the death of writer, poet and journalist Sabahattin Ali in 1948 and to shed light on the incident. In the application, it was requested to re-examine the investigation and trial files regarding the death of Sabahattin Ali, to search for documents related to the incident in the state archives and to determine the author's grave place.
According to the news in ANKA; Turkish Journalists Association (TGC), Turkish Publishers Association, Turkish Journalists Union, Turkish Writers Union and PEN Writers Association applied to the Ministry of Justice today to re-examine the files regarding the death of writer, poet and journalist Sabahattin Ali in 1948 and to shed light on the incident.
In the application, it was pointed out that the official narrative regarding Sabahattin Ali's death has not resolved the question marks in the public, literature, history and law circles, despite more than 70 years having passed.
It was stated that the allegations that the author was captured while under the supervision of the security and intelligence mechanisms of the period and that he died as a result of ill-treatment or torture were not investigated by an independent and comprehensive investigation.
It was stated that the lack of definitive identification of the lifeless body, the unknown fate of the remains after the autopsy, and the deficiencies in the trial documents increased the doubts in question.
In the application, it was emphasized that shedding light on Sabahattin Ali's death was not just an investigation of an individual incident, and that the issue was important in terms of shedding light on one of the most discussed unsolved files in the history of the Republic.
In the application, it was stated that the right to life guaranteed in Article 17 of the Constitution and the principle of the rule of law in Article 2 also include the effective investigation of deaths. It was stated that failure to eliminate serious suspicions that an author may have been targeted because of his or her thoughts constitutes a significant problem in terms of freedom of thought and press.
In the application, it was pointed out that statute of limitations provisions may come to the fore as many years have passed since the death, and it was emphasized that this does not prevent the investigation of forensic and historical truth, examination of archives and identification of the author's remains.
It was stated that today's forensic medicine, DNA analysis, anthropological examination and archive scanning methods provide the opportunity to reach the material truth of the past, and it was noted that it would be important for public conscience to include the Sabahattin Ali file within the scope of the work of the Unsolved Crimes Investigation Department within the Ministry of Justice.
In the joint application of the Turkish Journalists Association, the Turkish Publishers Association, the Turkish Journalists Union, the Turkish Writers Union and the PEN Writers Association, the following demands were made from the Ministry of Justice:
1. Re-examination of the investigation and trial files regarding the death of Sabahattin Ali, including the case file about Ali Ertekin and the amnesty decision, under the coordination of the Unsolved Crimes Investigation Department.
2. Investigating whether there are documents related to the incident in the police, gendarmerie, intelligence and state archives.
3. Identifying the place where Sabahattin Ali's body was buried and, if possible, conducting DNA and anthropological examination with the consent of his relatives.
The application also requested that the information resulting from the research be shared with the public.
