Ragip Zarakolu–owner of Belge Publishing House–recently published Henry Morgenthau’s memoirs of his term as US Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian genocide. This is the first time his memoirs have been published in Turkey.
Zarakolu is notorious in Turkey for publishing books deemed subversive by the Turkish authorities. Because of his work–Zarakolu spent three years in prison in the 1970’s. His wife also spent several years in prison.
Belge Publishing House has published countless books about the Armenian genocide–including Franz Werfel’s Forty Days in Musa Dagh–Tessa Hoffman’s Talaat Pasha Trials in Berlin–and Peter Balakian’s Black Dog of the Fate.
When Zarakolu was acquitted of charges against him for publishing a book by Vahakn Dadrian–the possibility of more free discussion about the Armenian genocide in Turkey increased.
Since then he has withstood a constant barrage of criminal charges–further imprisonment–confiscation and destruction of books–the bombing of his publishing house–and heavy government fines and taxes. His publishing house has endured more than 40 criminal indictmen’s.