May there be blessings
His article titled ‘Book Banning is Unconstitutional’ appeared in Kim Magazine, while his piece titled ‘To Those Attacking the Constitutional Court: Respect the Constitution’ began appearing in Akşam Newspaper.
Geography is sometimes destiny, but within that destiny, ‘telling the truth’ is not for every hero. Some lands favour those who applaud lies rather than those who whisper the truth. It was precisely in this climate that a name passed from this world, essentially from our country, one who wrote not with pen on paper but with conscience.
Throughout his life, he chose to stand in the midst of stormy truth, the difficult path, rather than succumbing to the winds of comfortable lies. His writing life was not merely a journalistic endeavour, but also a veritable ‘cleansing’ operation. He stepped on the toes of vested interest groups, shadowy forces, and those who preyed on the people. He showed the courage to boldly stick his neck out when necessary, even if it meant getting caught in the cogs of the evil machine.
This courage led those who sought to push him out of the system to label him a ‘troublesome infantryman.’ However, he wore this label not as a badge of shame, but as a badge of honour.
His most distinctive feature was his uncompromising ideological stance and his responsible approach to writing. What fundamentally set him apart from his colleagues was that his ideology was not based on blind fanaticism. He would first research, examine the evidence, piece together the facts, and only then put pen to paper. His fight against forming opinions without knowledge remains one of the greatest principles in the world of journalism today. His compass was always the mission to ‘awaken the people.’ With the responsibility of an intellectual, he made it his motto to remove the dead weight that had settled on society.
Born on 22 August in Kırşehir and brutally murdered on 24 January, this “immortal” journalist was one of us, the third of four children of Hakkı Şinasi Bey, a land registry clerk, and Nadire Hanım. He began his primary education at Devrim Primary School in Ulus, Ankara, and completed it at Ulubatlı Hasan Primary School in Bahçelievler. After Ankara Deneme High School, he entered the Faculty of Law at Ankara University. He began writing during his student years. He won the Yunus Nadi Award for his article titled ‘Turkish Socialism’ published in Cumhuriyet Newspaper. In the context of 27 May, he argued that ‘People are responsible not only for what they say but also for what they do not say’ in his articles published in the magazine Yön, edited by Doğan Avcıoğlu, defending the principles and revolutions of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and a fully independent Turkey. The titles of his articles were like manifestos. He moved to Kim magazine with his article titled ‘Book Confiscation is Unconstitutional,’ and his reviews began to be published in Akşam newspaper with his article titled ‘To Those Attacking the Constitutional Court: Respect the Constitution.’
He suffered his share of the repressive attitude towards intellectuals during the 12 March period. He was detained for a period. While preparing for military service, he was arrested on charges of insulting the army. Following nearly a year in Mamak Military Prison, his military service began at the Tuzla Infantry School and later in Patnos. After completing his military service, he returned to his writing career. In his writings, he both voiced problems and addressed unlawful and illegal practices. He wrote dozens of books, nearly a thousand articles, and even plays. Through his thoughts put down on paper, he continued to strive to enlighten the Turkish people and build a bright Turkey.
Broken pens and immortal ideas. Unfortunately, this region has a dark tradition: they believe that if they cannot silence an idea, they can destroy its owner. On Sunday, 24 January 1993, they broke his pen and tried to silence him by detonating a bomb placed in his car. But they forgot one thing: ideas are bulletproof. Although he is no longer with us physically, every line he wrote continues to illuminate the dark corners today.
Greetings to all truth warriors who paid the price of honesty with their lives, who did not sell their pens and who did not bend or break. May his soul rest in peace, may his place be paradise. Uğur Mumcu is a treasure. Our sense of loyalty to him must continue. Uğur Mumcu may be physically dead, but his indomitable, courageous words stand tall as they did on the first day. May he rest in peace.
