Ahmet Altan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ahmet Altan
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| Born | 2 March 1950 Ankara, Turkey
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| Nationality | Turkish |
| Education | Robert College Ankara College Middle East Technical University Istanbul University |
| Occupation | Editor-in-chief and lead columnist of Taraf (2007–2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Çetin Altan (father) |
| Relatives | Mehmet Altan (brother) |
Ahmet Hüsrev Altan, born on March 2, 1950, is a well-known Turkish journalist and author. He has worked in journalism for over twenty years. During this time, he has held many roles, from being a night reporter to an editor in chief at different newspapers.
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About Ahmet Altan
Ahmet Altan was born in 1950 in Ankara, Turkey. His father, Çetin Altan, was also a famous journalist and writer. Ahmet is the older of two sons. His brother, Mehmet Altan, is also a journalist, writer, and a university professor.
Altan's Journalism Career
Ahmet Altan has written columns for several Turkish newspapers. These include Hürriyet, Milliyet, and Radikal. He has also created news programs for television.
Early Career Challenges
In 1995, Altan was let go from the Milliyet newspaper. This happened after he wrote a column called "Atakürt." In this article, he imagined a different history for Turkey. He wrote about a country called "Kürdiye" where Turkish people were treated unfairly. For this column, he faced legal action and received a suspended sentence.
Founding Taraf Newspaper
In 2007, Ahmet Altan helped start a new daily newspaper called Taraf. He became its first editor-in-chief and main columnist. He stayed in this important role until he left in December 2012.
Facing Legal Issues
In September 2008, Altan published an article titled "Oh, My Brother." This article was about the victims of the Armenian genocide. Because of this, he was accused of "denigrating Turkishness." This means he was accused of saying bad things about being Turkish. A far-right political group started the legal case against him.
As the editor of Taraf, Altan was also accused of helping to hide claims. These claims suggested that a group called the Gülen movement was cheating on public exams. This was supposedly to gain more power in the government.
Leaving Taraf
On December 14, 2012, Ahmet Altan resigned from his job at Taraf. His assistant editor, Yasemin Çongar, and another journalist, Neşe Tüzel, also left. The next day, columnist Hadi Uluengin joined them in stepping down.
Legal Challenges and Imprisonment
After a failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016, many journalists faced legal action. On September 23, 2016, Ahmet Altan was arrested. He was accused of sending "subliminal messages" to encourage those who planned the coup attempt. "Subliminal messages" are hidden messages meant to influence people without them knowing.
Writing from Prison
In September 2017, while he was not allowed to write letters, Altan wrote an essay. It was called "The Writer's Paradox." In this essay, he wrote about being in a prison cell. He said, "They may have the power to imprison me but no one has the power to keep me in prison. I am a writer." This essay was published just before his trial began.
Many authors around the world supported Altan. Famous writers like Neil Gaiman and Joanne Harris spoke out. They said that locking up writers tries to lock up ideas, but this will always fail.
Court Cases and Release
On February 16, 2018, Ahmet Altan and his brother Mehmet Altan were sentenced to life in prison. While in prison, Ahmet wrote notes that he gave to his lawyers. These notes became his memoirs, published as I Will Never See the World Again. This book has been translated into many languages.
On November 4, 2019, a higher court changed Altan's sentence. He was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison. The court then ordered his release on probation. Probation means he was allowed to leave prison but had to follow certain rules. However, on November 12, 2019, police arrested him again. This happened after another court ruling reversed his release.
Ahmet Altan was finally released from prison on April 14, 2021. This happened after an order from the Court of Cassation, which is Turkey's highest court for civil and criminal cases.
Awards and Recognition
Ahmet Altan has received several awards for his writing and his fight for freedom of thought.
- 1983: Akademi Bookstore Literature Awards, First Prize for "Novel"
- 1998: Yunus Nadi Literature Prize for "Novel"
- 2011: International Hrant Dink Award
- 2013: Turkish Publishers Association, Freedom of Thought and Expression Prize
- 2017: Istanbul Human Rights Association Ayşe Nur Zarakolu Freedom of Thought and Expression Prize
- 2019: Geschwister Scholl Preis
- 2021: Prix Femina étranger
