Emin Çölasan
Encyclopedia
Emin Çölaşan is a Turkish
investigative journalist, whose daily column appeared in the country's internationally best-known and most influential mass-circulation newspaper, Istanbul
-based Hürriyet
, for 22 years, from 1985 to 2007. Due to his outspoken positions on sensitive domestic issues, he is considered one of the most controversial names in Turkey's written press and, since 2007, has continued his column in Sözcü.
, Emin Çölaşan was born into a Cretan Turkish
family whose surname, which literally means "desert strider", is a reference to his grandmother who was exiled by Sultan Abdülhamid II deep into the desert interior of Libya
. His maternal grandfather, Refik Şevket İnce, born in Polichnitos
near Mytilene
(modern-day Greek
island of Lesbos), served with the country's leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
and, subsequently, in ministerial posts during the 1920s and into the 1950s, and his father served in the State Meteorological Service where he became general director. Çölaşan and his wife Tansel (born 1943), who holds the position of chief advocate for the Turkish Council of State
(Danıştay), are known to prefer vacationing in Greece on his grandfather's birth island of Lesbos . Tansel Çölaşan was also in the news due to being an eye-witness and survivor of the May 2006 attack on the council's premises by the Turkish fundamentalist terrorist and Ergenekon suspect Alparslan Arslan
.
with a degree in management studies. For a decade, he worked in various public institutions and started his journalism career in 1977 at the Istanbul daily Milliyet
, shifting in 1985 as a regular columnist for Hürriyet
, an influential position which he has maintained for nearly a quarter of a century. He is also the author of numerous books which focus primarily on malpractices within governmental and public circles in Turkey, as well as an instigator and/or party in frequent polemics centering on his discoveries of official malfeasance and misconduct.
, Turkey's president from 1983 to 1989, who became the target of his 1980s books Turgut'un Serüveni [Turgut's Adventure] and Turgut Nereden Koşuyor? [Where is Turgut Running From?]. In the late 2000s, he focused his in-print attacks upon rival columnist Mehmet Barlas and Justice and Development Party
(AKP) mayor of Ankara İ. Melih Gökçek. Çölaşan made a point of pronouncing the mayor's name in full, in reference to a Turkish four-letter word; a practice for which he was fined 40,000 lira
. The two finally appeared on a televised debate, which received a warning from the state censorship board for indecency. Çölaşan also criticized the incumbent AKP government, which is believed to the reason behind his 13 August 2007 firing from Hürriyet after 22 years of service.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
investigative journalist, whose daily column appeared in the country's internationally best-known and most influential mass-circulation newspaper, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
-based Hürriyet
Hürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
, for 22 years, from 1985 to 2007. Due to his outspoken positions on sensitive domestic issues, he is considered one of the most controversial names in Turkey's written press and, since 2007, has continued his column in Sözcü.
Family background
A native of AnkaraAnkara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Emin Çölaşan was born into a Cretan Turkish
Cretan Turks
The Cretan Turks, Turco-Cretans , or Cretan Muslims were the Muslim inhabitants of Crete and now their descendants, who settled principally in Turkey, the Levant, and Egypt as well as in the larger Turkish diaspora.After the Ottoman conquest of Crete...
family whose surname, which literally means "desert strider", is a reference to his grandmother who was exiled by Sultan Abdülhamid II deep into the desert interior of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. His maternal grandfather, Refik Şevket İnce, born in Polichnitos
Polichnitos
Polichnitos is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 5,288 . The municipal unit is located in the central south coast of the island,...
near Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...
(modern-day Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Lesbos), served with the country's leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
and, subsequently, in ministerial posts during the 1920s and into the 1950s, and his father served in the State Meteorological Service where he became general director. Çölaşan and his wife Tansel (born 1943), who holds the position of chief advocate for the Turkish Council of State
Turkish Council of State
The Turkish Council of State is the highest administrative court in the Republic of Turkey and is based in Ankara. Its role and tasks are prescribed by the Constitution of Turkey within the articles on the supreme courts....
(Danıştay), are known to prefer vacationing in Greece on his grandfather's birth island of Lesbos . Tansel Çölaşan was also in the news due to being an eye-witness and survivor of the May 2006 attack on the council's premises by the Turkish fundamentalist terrorist and Ergenekon suspect Alparslan Arslan
Alparslan Arslan
Alparslan Arslan is a Turkish criminal convicted for murdering Council of State member Mustafa Yücel Özbilgin, and wounding four others. He also took part in the bombing of the newspaper Cumhuriyet along with Osman Yıldırım, İsmail Sağır, and Erhan Timuroğlu. All of these events took place from...
.
Education and career
Çölaşan finished his secondary studies in TED Ankara College and graduated from the Middle East Technical UniversityMiddle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
with a degree in management studies. For a decade, he worked in various public institutions and started his journalism career in 1977 at the Istanbul daily Milliyet
Milliyet
Milliyet is a major Turkish daily newspaper founded in 1950.-History:Milliyet came to publishing life at the Nuri Akça press in Babıali, Istanbul as a daily private newspaper on 3 May 1950...
, shifting in 1985 as a regular columnist for Hürriyet
Hürriyet
-External links:* * ** * *...
, an influential position which he has maintained for nearly a quarter of a century. He is also the author of numerous books which focus primarily on malpractices within governmental and public circles in Turkey, as well as an instigator and/or party in frequent polemics centering on his discoveries of official malfeasance and misconduct.
Controversies
Çölaşan had been a virulent critic of Turgut ÖzalTurgut Özal
Halil Turgut Özal was Prime Minister of Turkey and President of Turkey . As Prime Minister, he transformed the economy of Turkey by paving the way for the privatization of many state enterprises.-Early life and career:...
, Turkey's president from 1983 to 1989, who became the target of his 1980s books Turgut'un Serüveni [Turgut's Adventure] and Turgut Nereden Koşuyor? [Where is Turgut Running From?]. In the late 2000s, he focused his in-print attacks upon rival columnist Mehmet Barlas and Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
(AKP) mayor of Ankara İ. Melih Gökçek. Çölaşan made a point of pronouncing the mayor's name in full, in reference to a Turkish four-letter word; a practice for which he was fined 40,000 lira
Turkish lira
The Turkish lira is the currency of Turkey and the de facto independent state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The lira is subdivided into 100 kuruş...
. The two finally appeared on a televised debate, which received a warning from the state censorship board for indecency. Çölaşan also criticized the incumbent AKP government, which is believed to the reason behind his 13 August 2007 firing from Hürriyet after 22 years of service.