68. Today in 1920s Turkey: 9 March 1925 (Freedom of Speech for Mother-in-Laws)

(Cartoon by Ramiz, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 9 March 1925, no. 236, page 3.)

Comments:
On 4 March 1925 the Turkish Grand National Assembly passed its infamous Law on the Maintenance of Order (or Takrir-i Sükun Kanunu) which afforded the government the authority to shut down publications whose content was deemed threatening to “public order.” In recent weeks (February 1925) a major Kurdish counter-revolution led by Sheikh Said had taken root in Turkey’s eastern provinces. Opposing the abolition of the Caliphate, the Sheikh Said Rebellion was swiftly squashed by the armed forced of the young Turkish Republic who saw this as a serious challenge to its power.

Passed at the height of this conflict, the law was used to implement extensive censorship on the press. Since the legislation remained in effect until 1929 (long after the rebellion was over in March 1925) it conveniently served to preemptively dissuade any potential serious criticism from being leveled at the administration during the initial years of the Republic.

Acts of censorship such as this are never appreciated by journalists and cartoonists. As such, it is obvious that cartoonist Ramiz is attempting to find some humor in an environment that makes his job difficult and unpleasant. After all, who wants to work under the stress of punishment for a sketch? Pushing back, Ramiz presents a cartoon that disguises its disapproval of the new restrictions on free speech with a satirization of loose-lipped mother-in-laws— a naturally amusing trope. Comparing the speed, reach, and effectiveness of the nosy older woman’s range of gossip-broadcast to the printing press, cartoon asks the question: will old women also be punished for their words that can potentially shake a nation… or at least a neighborhood. In this way Ramiz highlights an area of “publishing” that cannot feasibly be censored.

English:
(Above)
Commotion
(Below)
Mother-in-laws: Do you think the government will shut down our jaws due to the Law on the Maintenance of Order?

Türkçe:
(Üstte)
Telaş
(Altta)
Kayın Analar: Hükumet, Takrir-i Sükun için acaba bizim çenelerimizi de kapatırlar mı dersiniz?..

(Entire page, Akbaba or “Vulture/White-Bearded Old Man,” 9 March 1925, no. 236, page 3.)

(Comments continued)
War, revolution, and other extraordinary political conditions that reveal widespread uncertainty and dissent are often used by authoritarian governments as an excuse to enforce unreasonable censorship demands and stifle the free exchange of ideas. The post-WWI days in Turkey presented a similar situation when the Turkish nationalists began organizing resistance efforts in Anatolia that would defy the wishes of the Ottoman administration and the Allies. In this case, the tables are turned and the pro-nationalists, as the revolutionaries, are the ones being censored. Below are examples from this other, recent period of censorship in Turkey:

Censorship: No Cartoon Today, Part 1 of 3
Censorship: Better Late Than Never, Part 2 of 3
Censorship: You Win Some You Lose Some, Part 3 of 3