AUTHORITIES IN
THE UNITED STATES ARE ASKING FOR TURKEY TO RELEASE TWO VICE
JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED ON ALLEGATIONS THAT
THEY ARE WORKING WITH THE ISLAMIC STATE AND KURDISH
MILITANTS.
OF COURSE THOSE ACCUSATIONS ARE UNFOUNDED, BUT
THEY ARE SAYING THAT THIS IS THE CASE BECAUSE TURKEY IS HAVING A
LOT OF ISSUES WITH JOURNALISTS DOING UNSAVORY COVERAGE OF THE
COUNTRY AND ITS TREATMENT OF KURDISH INDIVIDUALS.
THIS ALL
HAPPENED, ACCORDING TO VICE NEWS, RECENTLY WHEN THEY WERE
COVERING SOME OF THE BRUTALITY THAT KURDISH PEOPLE WERE FACING
AS A RESULT OF AUTHORITIES IN A PARTICULAR AREA.
VICE NEWS
JOURNALISTS JAKE HANRAHAN AND PHILIP PENDLEBURY WERE DETAINED
BY POLICE AS THEY FILMED IN THE SOUTH EAST REGION OF
DIYARBAKIR THURSDAY.
THEY HAD BEEN IN THE REGION FILMING
CLASHES BETWEEN POLICE AND KURDISH MILITANTS.
THEIR LAWYER SAID
THEY WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT WHETHER THEY WERE WORKING ON
BEHALF OF THE I.S.
OR THE KURDISH MILITANT GROUP PKK.
THEY DENIED THE ACCUSATIONS, SAYING THEY WERE ONLY DOING
THEIR JOB.
>> THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, AND OBVIOUSLY POLITICAL.
WERE THESE
BRITISH JOURNALISTS WORKING WITH THE PKK OR ISLAMIC STATE?
OF
COURSE NOT.
THESE GUYS HAVE HAD A LONG CAREER, AND IT IS NOT
LIKE, HEY, THEY ARE YOUNG GUYS, THEY WANT TO GO COVER AND ALL OF
A SUDDEN THEY GOT INTRIGUED BY WHAT WAS GOING ON AND JOINED.
NO
SUCH THING, OKAY?
THEY HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF THAT FACT, THEY WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO PROVE IT BECAUSE IT ISN'T TRUE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THEY
HAVE COVERED MIGRANT CRISES, THE SCOTTISH REFERENDUM,
REPUBLICANISM, VARIOUS STORIES.
HANRAHAN HAS WORKED FOR THE
GUARDIAN, THE WIRE, ROLLING STONE MIDDLE EAST, SHOOTS IN
IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, NORTH KOREA.
THEY ARE ON A NORMAL NEWS SHOOT.
OBVIOUSLY THE TURKISH AUTHORITIES DID NOT LIKE WHAT WAS IN THEIR
CAMERAS.
WHEN THEY FIRST ARRESTED THEM, THEY SAID THEY WERE --
>>FILMING A MILITARY BASE WITHOUT PERMISSION, THAT WAS THE
INITIAL CHARGE.
THEY TOOK AWAY THEIR CAMERAS, REVIEWED THE
FOOTAGE ON THE CAMERAS, AND THEN DECIDED TO MAKE THE ACCUSATION
THAT THEY WERE WORKING WITH ISIS.
>>NOW THE CHARGE OF FILMING A MILITARY BASE WITHOUT PERMISSION
IS A NORMAL CHARGE.
HERE'S WHAT I MEAN BY THAT.
IT IS NORMAL
REPRESSIVE TACTICS, OKAY?
WHEN A GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO
FILM ANYTHING THEY WILL SAY NO, NO, THAT IS A MILITARY BASE, YOU
CAN'T.
IT IS RELATIVELY NORMAL BECAUSE WOULD THE UNITED STATES
ALLOW YOU TO GO ON A MILITARY BASE AND TAPE IT?
NO, NO COUNTRY
WOULD.
BUT THE UNITED STATES IS NOT HAVING AN ISSUE WITH ITS
MILITARY BASE IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL NEWS, WHEREAS
TURKEY IS.
THAT IS WHY VICE IS THERE, AND THEY ARE DOING
SOMETHING LEGITIMATE AS A NEWS ORGANIZATION.
AGAIN, YOU CAPTURE
THEIR VIDEO AND IF IT TURNS OUT, HEY, THEY ARE TAKING TROOP
MOVEMENTS, EVERY GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE THEIR TAPE AND NOT ALLOW
THAT TO GO TO AIR.
BUT NOT EVERY GOVERNMENT WILL ARREST THE
REPORTER AND PUT THEM IN JAIL.
THAT IS THE SO-CALLED EASIER
PART.
WHEN YOU GET TO THE WHOLE PART ABOUT TERROR, IT TURNS OUT
THEY ARE THE TERRORISTS -- THAT IS MORE TELLING.
THAT IS THE
GOVERNMENT SAYING A) ANYONE OPPOSED TO US IS BY DEFINITION A
TERRORIST, AND B)
IF YOU TRY TO REPORT THE NEWS WE WILL CALL YOU
A TERRORIST.
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT IS DOING,
THEY ARE SENDING A MESSAGE.
AND THE MESSAGE IS, DON'T DO
JOURNALISM IN TURKEY.
BECAUSE IF YOU DO, WE WILL ARREST YOU, PUT
YOU IN JAIL FOR AN INDEFINITE PERIOD OF TIME, OF COURSE WE
HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WE HAVE THE GUNS
AND IN THIS COUNTRY IF YOU TRY TO DO JOURNALISM THERE WILL BE A
PRICE TO PAY.
THAT IS THE MESSAGE THEY ARE SENDING NOT
JUST TO INTERNAL JOURNALISTS, BUT NOW TO THE WHOLE WORLD, IF YOU
COME INTO TURKEY TO TRY TO REPORT ON WHAT IS GOING ON.
ONE
LAST THING FOR ME, ISLAMIC STATE AND PKK HATE EACH OTHER.
THEY
FIGHT ALL THE TIME, OKAY?
PKK IS A PARTICULAR GROUP LABELED BY
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND TURKISH GOVERNMENT AS A TERRORIST
ORGANIZATION, THEY FIGHT INSIDE TURKEY, THEY DO TERRORIST
ACTIVITY INSIDE TURKEY, THEY ALSO EXIST, SOME BRANCHES, IN
IRAQ AND SYRIA.
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WILL CLAIM THEY HAVE
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE KURDS WHO ARE THEIR BROTHERS WHO ARE RIGHT
NEXT TO THEM IN IRAQ AND SYRIA WHO FIGHT AGAINST ISIS.
THAT IS
UNCLEAR, THE DEGREE TO WHICH DIFFERENT KURDISH GROUPS WORK
TOGETHER TO FIGHT AGAINST ISIS WHILE SOME OF THEM FIGHT AGAINST
TURKEY.
SO THE U.S. HAS TO PRETEND THEY ARE TOTALLY
SEPARATE BECAUSE WE LOVE TURKEY AND WE LOVE THE KURDS FIGHTING
AGAINST ISIS -- THAT IS INCONVENIENT.
AND REMEMBER,
TURKEY AND MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, RUSSIA, OTHERS, TOOK THIS
PLAYBOOK FROM AMERICA.
AMERICA IS THE ONE THAT STARTED WITH
HEY, YOU ARE NOT ON OUR SIDE, YOU ARE A TERRORIST.
DID WE
BRING IT TO THIS LEVEL?
YES AND NO.
NO, WE DON'T ARREST PEOPLE
INSIDE HERE AND CALL THEM TERRORISTS FOR DOING JOURNALISM.
HAVE WE HELPED OTHER GOVERNMENTS ARREST PEOPLE AND CALL THEM
TERRORISTS?
YES.
ONE OF THE TOP JOURNALISTS IN YEMEN, ARRESTED
FOR BEING A TERRORIST, WHY?
BECAUSE HE HAD THE UNMITIGATED
GALL TO TAKE PICTURES OF WHAT WE DID IN YEMEN, A U.S. AIRSTRIKE
WHERE WE KILLED DOZENS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE INNOCENT CIVILIANS,
AND BARACK OBAMA CALLED THE PRESIDENT OF YEMEN AND SAID,
WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TO PARDON THAT GUY BECAUSE THERE WAS
OUTRAGE IN YEMEN, HE SAID DON'T DO IT.
KEEP HIM IN JAIL.
OBAMA
KNEW HE WAS A JOURNALIST, BUT HE SAID KEEP CALLING HIM A
TERRORIST.
SHOULD WE BE OUTRAGED AT THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT?
ABSOLUTELY.
BUT THIS IS UNFORTUNATELY A BROADER THEME
THAT GOES FOR A LOT OF GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD,
INCLUDING OUR OWN.
THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE, AND THEY SHOULD LET HIM GO IMMEDIATELY.
>>RIGHT.
AND ALSO, I THINK THE U.S. DOES PLAY A FACTOR IN THE
NOTION OF ANYONE THAT A GOVERNMENT DOES NOT AGREE WITH
BEING LABELED AS A TERRORIST TO IMMEDIATELY DISCREDIT THEM.
TURKEY ITSELF, ESPECIALLY UNDER PRESIDENT ERDOGAN, IS IN A
WORLD OF TROUBLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU REALIZE THEY STARTED OFF
BY TRYING TO BAN TWITTER AND YOUTUBE BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT
WAS THE BEST WAY TO REPRESS PEOPLE, THEY WON'T HAVE ACCESS
TO SOCIAL MEDIA, SITES THAT HELP MOBILIZE PEOPLE IN OPPOSITION TO
AN ELECTED LEADER, AND ALSO AT THE SAME TIME THIS IS NOT THE
FIRST TIME TURKEY HAS DONE SOMETHING TERRIBLE AGAINST
JOURNALISTS THAT ARE SIMPLY DOING THEIR JOBS.
TURKEY WAS
DUBBED AS THE BIGGEST PRISON FOR JOURNALISTS IN 2012 AND 2013 BY
JOURNALISM ORGANIZATIONS.
IN GENERAL, DETAINED FOREIGN
JOURNALISTS WOULD EITHER BE RELEASED OR DEPORTED, BUT IN
THIS CASE NOW THEY ARE FINALLY IMPRISONING THEM AND KEEPING THEM
IN PRISON.
SO IF THEY ARE TRYING TO HIDE WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY
DOING TO KURDS IN TURKEY, THIS IS A TERRIBLE WAY OF DOING IT.
IF ANYTHING IT DRAWS MORE ATTENTION TO THE
PERSECUTION THE KURDISH PEOPLE FACE IN TURKEY.
>>IN THE SHORT-TERM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY IN THE LONG-TERM
WHAT DOES IT SEND THE MESSAGE ESPECIALLY TO REPORTERS INSIDE
TURKEY, IF YOU TRY TO DO JOURNALISM IN THIS COUNTRY WE
WILL MAKE YOU PAY A HEAVY PRICE.
AND USING BRITAIN AND THE U.S.,
THEY MIGHT COME TO HELP THESE TWO WESTERNERS, THEY WON'T HELP
YOU.
THAT IS THE MESSAGE ERDOGAN IS SENDING.
IF YOU
CARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY AND IT CONTINUING TO BE A
SECULAR COUNTRY THAT THRIVES AS A WESTERN GOVERNMENT, YOU SHOULD
BE OUTRAGED AT THIS.
IT IS NOT LIKE ERDOGAN IS PROTECTING
TURKISH INTERESTS.
HE IS PROTECTING HIS OWN INTERESTS.
SO
IF HIS GOVERNMENT IS DOING SOMETHING WRONG, HE IS LIKE,
YEAH, I WILL MAKE TURKEY PAY THE PRICE.
I WILL MAKE TURKEY LOOK
TERRIBLE IN THE EYES OF THE REST OF THE WORLD, THAT WE ARE A
PRISON FOR JOURNALISTS.
THAT WE DON'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY, WE
IMPRISON ANYONE WHO DOESN'T AGREE WITH THE OFFICIAL
GOVERNMENT STANCE.
THAT MAKES TURKEY LOOK TERRIBLE.
BUT HE
DOESN'T CARE, IT IS FOR HIS OWN POLITICAL GAIN.
THAT IS WHY HE'S
DOING IT.
AND YOU KNOW THESE CHARGES ARE RIDICULOUS WHEN THEY
SAY IT COULD BE PKK OR ISLAMIC STATE.
PICK ONE, THEY ARE
LARGELY MORTAL ENEMIES, RIGHT?
THE VICE NEWS CREW IS NOT
WORKING FOR EITHER ONE OF THOSE GROUPS, LET ALONE POSSIBLY
BOTH OF THEM.
IT IS OUTRAGEOUS AND RIDICULOUS, LET THEM GO.