In Reappearing

EMEL was first published thirty years ago, on January 1, 1930 by ten young Crimean Turks from Pazarcık, a town in Rumania. The purpose for its publication was then made clear in the introduction and it is worth quoting here this sentence from it: « Our purpose is to pave the way to the unity in thought and ideal of the Turkic peoples living in distant parts of the World and speaking different Turkish dialects. » Later on this was understood rather as freedom and independence of these Turkic peoples living in their age-old homelands as captives of Russia.

When Cafer Seydahmet Kırımer, leader of the Crimean Turks, then in Europe for the defence of the Crimean rights and independence, saw EMEL he wished that it would become an organ for the Crimean independence movement. The wish of the leader was fervently adopted by Mustecib Ulkusal, editor of EMEL and his colleagues. The articles supporting the Crimean independence appeared from the number 14 on. Until then the idea of independence was defended only in the reviews published by other Turkish nationalists of Azerbaycan, Turkestan, Idil – Ural and Northern Caucasia and in the review PROMETHEUS (Promete).

With its copy of July 15, 1930 EMEL joined them as the organ of the Crimean independence. The review had then two principal writers, Cafer Seydahmet Kırımer and Mustecib Ulküsal. As the leader of the Crimean independence movement Cafer Seydahmet Kırımer, who was also a well-known writer, wrote many articles explaining the principles and foundations of the Crimean cause. With the inspiration of the leader Müstecib Ülküsal, a lawyer, wrote important articles on the social and political subjects concerning the Crimea.

EMEL continued to appear for five years at Pazarcik and six years in Konstantsa. Its eleven volumes of 5000 pages included more than three hundred articles and many literary writings which now constitute a most reliable source of information for the independence movement and cultural developments – of the Crimea and other Turkish peoples.

As in 1941 Rumania entered the second World War EMEL had to stop its publication. In 1942 the printing types were transferred to Crimea for the publication there of a newspaper called AZAD KIRIM, The Free Crimea.

Now EMEL is appearing again in the same spirit in Ankara in the happy atmosphere created by the May 27, 1960 Revolution.