President Erdoğan attends award ceremony of Martyr Mustafa Cambaz Photography Contest

 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the award ceremony of Martyr Mustafa Cambaz Photography Contest held in Democracy and Liberties Island, Istanbul.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Erdoğan underscored that one of the 252 heroes, who died a martyr’s death after having flocked to streets on the night of July 15, was the late Mustafa Cambaz, President Erdoğan said: “By foiling a 40-year-old plan of a treacherous gang, which was backed by the entire world, in a single night on July 15, we have gifted our children yet another victory that they will carry proudly as a medal of honor. We have shown the servants of imperialists that Türkiye cannot be surrendered, and that they cannot put shackles on the will of the Turkish nation.”

“NEARLY 150 JOURNALISTS HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE ISRAELI ATTACKS”

Drawing attention to the incidents taking place in Gaza since October 7, President Erdoğan underscored that those, who have preached at Türkiye about the freedom of press for years, have shown their true faces, and added: “Those, who remain indifferent to the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, do not even bother to hide their unjustness and hypocritical policies. As you can see, those, who made round-the-clock live broadcast during the Gezi incidents, have disappeared when it comes to Gaza. Let me remind you that nearly 150 journalists have lost their lives in the Israeli attacks. Journalist have been massacred and have become the targets of bullets during live broadcasts. The offices of international media outlets have been raided and closed. All the principles and rules considered to be the freedom of press have been violated, trampled on and ruined by Israel.”

Stressing that other than a handful of bold people, none of the western media outlets has reacted to what is going on in Gaza, President Erdoğan went on to say: “They have not seen the genocide. They have not heard the cries of the oppressed. They have not talked about justice or realities. They have been continuing to play ostrich since October 7. They have preferred giving in to the pressures of the Zionist lobby to resisting them. They have buried by their own hands the values, which they have been defending for decades, into the mass graves in Gaza for the sake of supporting Israel.”

“ISRAEL WILL NOT STOP KILLING OR SHEDDING THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT IN THE FUTURE”

Underscoring that not only international institutions, but also institutions of the Islamic world have unfortunately failed the Gaza test, President Erdoğan said: “We all need to think carefully about how the Islamic world, despite its population that approximates 2 billion, its economic power that surpasses trillions of dollars, and its countless strategic means, cannot have influence on Israel. While rightfully criticizing the western world regarding the massacres in Gaza, I believe we as Muslims should question ourselves, too. First of all, we need to understand that Israel will not stop killing or shedding the blood of the innocent in the future, as it has been persistently doing for 76 years. Western powers, with the effect of the shame of Holocaust as well, will continue to give unconditional support to Israel at the cost of violating their very principles. The United Nations Security Council, which serves to the interests of five countries, will not take any step against Israel. International media outlets, as is the case today, will neither show Israel’s atrocity nor hear the cries of the oppressed.”

President Erdoğan added: “So, what will the Islamic world do in the face of such a picture? What kind of measures will they take? How will they stop the oppression and the oppressor? There is no way out for us than asking ourselves these questions more often and showing the courage to face facts. I am of the opinion that the sooner we make this questioning, the more auspicious it will be for the Ummah and the humanity alike. Türkiye, the haven of the oppressed, will continue to stand with the oppressed and stand tall against oppressors from now on as well.”