Abdi Ipekci, Turkey
By Global Journalist Staff Posted Sat, Apr 1 2000
Abdi Ipekci turned away from nationalistic intolerance to help build bridges between Turkish and Greek journalists. In the process, Ipekci became honored among journalists in both countries.
Ipekci was born in Istanbul in 1929 and started his journalistic career as a reporter for the daily newspaper Yeni Sabah. He worked on the news staff of the daily Yeni Istanbul, and then moved to Istanbul Ekspres in 1961, an afternoon paper, where he was soon named editor. At just 25-years-old, he became editor in chief of the recently established daily Milliyet (Nation), and helped build the newspaper into one of Turkey’s most successful and influential. His column, “Durum,” tremendously impacted both public opinion and the government. He was a political moderate and powerful voice for democracy in a country bedeviled by violent polarization. Although political assassinations happened daily, Ipekci spoke ceaselessly for national unity and reconciliation and against violence and terrorism.
Ipekci was instrumental in arranging a breakthrough meeting between Greek and Turkish journalists under IPI’s auspices in London in November 1978. At the time, there was still intense bitterness between the two countries over the partition of Cyprus. It was due to his efforts that leading editors from Turkey visited Greece, where they met the Greek prime minister, and Greek editors visited Turkey, where Ipekci’s close personal friend, Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, addressed them. As a sign of respect for his efforts in this area, the biannual Abdi Ipekci Awards, honoring persons and nongovernmental organizations for their contributions to the promotion of peace and friendship between Turkey and Greece, were established upon a Greek initiative shortly after his death.
An active member of IPI, Ipekci was elected to its executive board in 1964 and became a vice chairman in 1971. He was also a president of the Istanbul Journalists Union and a lecturer at Istanbul University’s Institute of Journalism from 1968 until his untimely death.
Ipekci was organizing an international conference on political extremism and the media in Turkey when he himself fell victim to political extremism. He was gunned down as he drove home from work on Feb. 1, 1979, by Mehmet Ali Agca, a right-wing militant who later escaped from jail and attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II. Ipekci was the most prominent of some 600 Turkish victims of terrorist violence in 1979 alone.
“The bullets which killed him were intended for Turkey’s democracy and constitutional order,” said Ecevit.
On the day of his funeral, the country’s newspaper offices interrupted work to pay homage to his memory, and the day’s editions appeared with black borders. The funeral turned into one of Istanbul’s largest public gatherings with thousands of people lining the route of the cortege to pay a final tribute to this highly respected journalist who stood up for democratic rights and freedoms.