By **Angela Chen**
If there exists a list of things the Turkish government is afraid of, the name of singer Ferhat Tunc is on it. On January 27, this wicked man was sentenced to 25 days in prison for making an anti-war speech at a concert in 2006. Peace, Ferhat? Why would you sing about that? What were you thinking?
The court reconsidered the next day (flaming liberals) and has ruled that he will only go to jail if he commits a similar crime. Unfortunately, Ferhat has openly refused to “stop committing similar crimes”—that is, to stop singing about Turkey’s political problems. It’s like he thinks he’s free.
Not to mention that the man just doesn’t seem to learn. Last November, Tunc was acquitted for one charge, then charged in two separate cases the very next day. He’s faced death threats, sentences of 15 years of imprisonment, been the center of high-profile petitions for his freedom. So it’s safe to say that it’s only a matter of time until his legal cycle will begin anew.
Tunc was charged because he made statements supporting songs of peace, and then sang a song in memory of 17 people who died in a military operation against an illegal Communist party (video of the song, “Onyedi Can” or “17 Souls” below).
By the transitive property, if Tunc is honoring people who died, and the people died protesting against the government, then Tunc is protesting against the government and supporting crime. For that, he must go to jail. It all makes sense.
Late last year, we interviewed international artist/activist Deeyah late last year whose compilation CD includes Tunc and other banned or persecuted artists. If you have a taste for the devil’s music, please enjoy this evil interview.
Copyright 2011 Angela Chen
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Angela Chen is an editorial assistant at Guernica.
To read blog entries from Angela Chen and others at GUERNICA, click HERE .