Articles-Interviews

Articles-Interviews, Genel 1 June 2022

‘Desired censorship’ children’s books file (I): The struggle of children’s books against censorship in Turkey

In 2020, 13 children’s books were declared obscene. While the allegations of obscenity and LGBTI+ propaganda come to the fore in the decisions of the Board for the Protection of Minors from Sexually Explicit Materials, we sometimes even witness campaigns launched on social media for the inspection of children’s books. As the Speak Up Platform, we asked the experts about the issue that comes up frequently.

Articles-Interviews 1 June 2022

‘Desired censorship’ children’s books file (II): Seeking the truth amidst allegations of social gender and obscenity

As the Speak Up Platform, in the second article in which we deal with the censorship of children’s books in Turkey, we deal with the allegations of “social gender, obscenity, gender identity and LGBTI+ propaganda”, which are constantly shown as an excuse for censorship. Along with expert opinions, we offer solutions for parents who are looking for the right thing for their children, especially among all these claims on social media

Articles-Interviews 1 June 2022

The musicians are speaking (I): “Thousands of people were left to their own fate”

Solidarity helps to survive this difficult period of pandemics when the authorities do not produce radical solutions, musicians cannot come together and efforts of professional organizations were appeared to be insufficient. Musician Mavi along with her colleagues can’t stand this course and tries to bring musicians who are having a hard time and establish a network of solidarity. Ahmet Mustafa Sözmen is a musician who plays in rock bands in Mersin and draws attention to the problems in the music scene. We start our series by building a bridge from Bodrum to Mersin…

Articles-Interviews 31 May 2022

What does İlhan Sami Çomak want? (1)

Poet, writer and translator Erkut Tokman wrote a review for the Speak Up Platform on the autobiographical book of poet İlhan Sami Çomak, who has been deprived of his freedom for 27 years, “Not to Destroy the Ant’s Nest”

Articles-Interviews 31 May 2022

What does İlhan Sami Çomak want? (2)

Poet, writer and translator Erkut Tokman wrote a review for the Speak Up Platform on the autobiographical book of poet İlhan Sami Çomak, who has been deprived of his freedom for 27 years, “Not to Destroy the Ant’s Nest”

Articles-Interviews 19 June 2020

İlhan Çomak: When in prison, poetry, too, is confined

“I have never self-censored my poetry, neither has my poetry ever been censored; to the contrary, I actually hear that many of the officials here, who are obligated to read my poetry, quite like it.” Ayşen Güven from Speak Up Platform spoke to the poet İlhan Çomak, who has been in prison for 26 years, about the prison conditions during the pandemic, the injustice he experienced, and his poems