ISTANBUL/
Marginal left media organs such as Birgun, Sozcu, Oda TV, initiated campaign against IMKANDER, which is well-known for humanitarian aids and reliefs delivered to war refugees.
Certain circles that are disturbed by the medication campaigns launched by IMKANDER throughout the country and relief works delivered to Syria announced the houses of injured people of Syria in Gaziantep and Kilis as if 'organisation houses', and claimed that the foundation established a 'jihad hospital' for the organisations that fight against the Assad regime.
Media organs that published the pictures of the injured people and the houses where injured people of Syria stayed pointed as targets the Gaziantep representation office of the foundation and Sahinbey Municipality.
Murat Ozer, the President of IMKANDER gave a press statement and showed reaction to them by reflecting as follows: "The aforecited media point as targets the venues that are not owned by our foundation, whereas favoured and supported for positive and benevolent actions, and that have emerged from extraordinary conditions at the border regions; likewise our foundation is pointed as targets for the terrorist organisations that support the Assad regime and have brutally murdered 52 citizens in Hatay-Reyhanlı. Making such news has nothing to do with the ethic and principles of journalism. I hereby would like to announce that IMKANDER will endeavour to deliver all humanitarian aids and reliefs to the people that have taken shelter in our country due to wars and occupations in their homeland in the Islamic world, and that such news will never discourage, on the contrary will motivate us to do better.".
As is known, the houses of Syrian refugees were burned down in Gaziantep, Syrian refugees were attacked, and the municipality intervened to transfer a great number of Syrian families to secured zones after release of such news.
IMKANDER Press Release
We Will Never Give Up On Helping Our Syrian Brothers and Sisters!
September 22, 2014
The news "A Jihad Hospital Opened for the Islamist Militants", which was published on page 1 on the issue of Birgun daily newspaper dated 22.09.2014, which was also released on a set of internet pages in the same manner, contain many untrue facts and factors.
The venues that are referred to in the news and known to public as houses for the injured' have actually been established by the relatives of the injured people that arrived in the provinces at the border regions due to ongoing wars in Syria. Created by virtue of the non-governmental organisations of Syria and welfare organisations; these venues provide treatment services and good efforts are made to ensure that hospitalised and mainly bed-ridden patients recover to adapt to their normal life. As far as we know, attention is not paid whether the injured people are civilians or fighters, whereas attention is paid only to the fact that they are sick and almsman.
Dogu Eroglu, the reporter of the news, penned the news not based on the facts but based on the speculations. As IMKANDER, we try our best to deliver medications to such places seated in Gaziantep and Kilis thanks to our campaigns launched and conducted around the country. The foundation also delivers medications to the hospitals and healthcare centres within Syria, trying to meet needs and requirements for wheelchairs, prosthesis intended for the injured. One should not expect us to remain indifferent to an ongoing war at the border of our country as it has deeply affected millions of people and rendered them as victims and sufferers of war, nor can we expected not to help these people. It is not something to be condemned that we deliver aids to our Syrian guests regardless of their language, religion and race. On the very contrary, it should be accepted and recognised as an attitude that must be praised and embraced. Likewise, the foundation has delivered aids to Syrian Kurdish brothers and sisters that took shelter in our country due to conflicts between ISIS and PYD. Further relief works will be delivered.
Hundreds of Syrian families that fight for survival in Istanbul where our home office is seated were delivered humanitarian aid. It is not minded whether the people to whom aids are delivered are Arab, Kurdish or Turkmen. It is neither the duty nor the responsibility of IMKANDER, which is a humanitarian relief foundation, to question, check and/or determine whether they are fighters or civilians in Syria.
However, the aforecited publication targets these venues, which are not owned by our foundation, whereas favoured and supported for positive and benevolent actions, and that have emerged from extraordinary conditions at the border regions; likewise our foundation is pointed as targets for the terrorist organisations that support the Assad regime and have brutally murdered 52 citizens in Hatay-Reyhanlı.
Consequently, although it is possible to comprehend that allegations of the cited news are not true, and to receive our opinions on the issue, making such news in the absence of a research and investigation in advance cannot be in compliance with the ethics and principles of journalism. As IMKANDER, we announce that we will endeavour to deliver all humanitarian aids and reliefs to the people that have taken shelter in our country due to wars and occupations in their homeland in the Islamic world, and that such news will never discourage, on the contrary will motivate us to do better.
Murat OZER
President of IMKANDER
