The Abdi İpekçi Peace Monument is a monument sculpted by

Gürdal Duyar Gürdal Duyar (20 August 1935 – 18 April 2004) was a Turkish people, Turkish sculptor, known especially for his monuments to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Atatürk and Bust (sculpture), busts of famous people. His art is characterized by a Modern scul ...

, commissioned by the Şişli Municipality in 2000 in honor of the editor-in-chief of the ''

Milliyet ''Milliyet'' ( Turkish for "''nationality''") is a Turkish daily newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. History and profile ''Milliyet'' came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 ...

'' newspaper Abdi İpekçi and erected at the place where he was assassinated in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1979. The monument, which was erected on 2000, follows the renaming of Emlak Street to

Abdi İpekçi Street Abdi İpekçi Street or Abdi İpekçi Avenue ( tr, Abdi İpekçi Caddesi) is one of the premier shopping streets of İstanbul, Turkey, located in the Şişli district. It runs along the Maçka and Teşvikiye neighborhoods, extending from Bayıld� ...

in 1979, the Abdi İpekçi Peace and Friendship Prize in 1980, and the Abdi İpekçi Arena in commemorating İpekçi.

Description

The sculpture is located close to the middle of the

. The sculpture was made by the sculptor

. The bronze sculpture is tall and stands on top of a granite plinth. The composition of the sculpture consists of two children, a boy and a girl, holding up a bust of İpekçi. Behind the boy and girl are two columns supporting an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

, on top of which there is a dove that represents peace. The monument is located near the location of Abdi İpekçi's former house at the place where he was shot and killed by an assassin in 1979.

Erection

The project was done by architect Erhan İşözen upon the request of the Şişli municipality. The sculptor

brought the project to life. The monument was inaugurated on the 21st anniversary of Abdi İpekçi's assassination, following a ceremony at İpekçi's grave at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. The inauguration was attended by İpekçi's family, close friends, and colleagues such as the editor-in-chief at the time of the ''

'' newspaper

Yalçın Doğan Yalçın or Yalcin is a given name and a surname of Turkic origin. It may refer to: Given name * Yalchin Rzazadeh (born 1969), a Soviet-period Azerbaijani pop singer * Yalçın Akdoğan (born 1969), Turkish politician * Yalçın Ayhan (born 1982) ...

and President of the Turkish Journalists Association

Nail Güreli Nail or Nails may refer to: In biology * Nail (anatomy), toughened protective protein-keratin (known as alpha-keratin, also found in hair) at the end of an animal digit, such as fingernail * Nail (beak), a plate of hard horny tissue at the tip ...

. Doğan and Güreli made speeches during the inauguration ceremony. During the ceremony Güreli said that the system didn't let much light be shed onto the assassination and that the assassins were being protected, stating: "The negligence of the rulers of the country led to the murder of İpekçi and many journalists by dark forces. This ignorance must end now. Unfortunately, such an effort is not evident."

Andreas Politakis Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Indonesia. The ...

, founder of the Abdi İpekçi Peace and Friendship Prize, sent a wreath to the ceremony which was on 1 February 2000. On the wreath it was written that "Abdi İpekçi's vision for Turkish-Greek rapprochement comes true 21 years later." The ceremony, which was attended by the Mayor of Şişli Municipality

Mustafa Sarıgül Mustafa Sarıgül (born 15 November 1956) is a Turkish writer, entrepreneur and politician. He is currently the leader of Party for Change in Turkey. He was the mayor of the Şişli district in Istanbul between 1999 and 2014. He is recently embro ...

, had a large crowd.

Later events

In 2006, journalists who opposed the release of İpekçi's murderer Mehmet Ali Ağca participated in the '' Abbas Güçlü ile Genç Bakış'' program which was held in front of Abdi İpekçi's monument. The program ''Abbas Güçlü ile Genç Bakış'' was broadcast from the street for the first time. Before the program in which many journalists reacted to this decision, guests left red carnations at İpekçi's monument and commemorated İpekçi. On 3 May 2018, World Press Freedom Day, the Press Council members flew pigeons in front of the Abdi İpekçi Monument. İpekçi is remembered in ceremonies in front of the monument such as at the 43rd, and the 44th anniversary of his assassination.

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

*{{commons category-inline, Abdi İpekçi Peace Monument 2000 sculptures Monument Bronze sculptures in Turkey Monuments and memorials in Istanbul Outdoor sculptures in Turkey Peace monuments and memorials Sculptures by Gürdal Duyar Sculptures in Turkey Sculptures of doves Şişli