What happens if those who should maintain
Democracy, Freedoms and Human Rights make call for Repression and Violence?
This country had been ruled under martial law and state of emergency for long years. Detention period was 90 days in 1980s. In the period of state of emergency 15 days period of detention was implemented for years. Extraordinary trials are carried out in Martial Law courts and State Security courts. The defendants are not allowed to see their lawyers and relatives. Many people died in custody. Torture was a routine practice. Unknown perpetrator killings, extrajudicial killings, village evacuations were among the practices applied in the name of struggle with terrorism. Arrested people are forced to say marches by inhuman repression and torture in the prisons. Thousands of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters were subjected to degrading repression in front of the prisons; some of them are killed there. Thousands of people from all circles of the society are put in the prison for their thoughts. Even today, social trauma generated by that period could not be remedied.
All of these are made in the name of struggle with terrorism and maintenance of the integrity of the country.
Unfortunately, the discussions in the parliament on the issue are despairing. It is not possible not to be upset for nearly all of the political parties in the parliament including the government and opposition parties intends to make us watch the same film which we mentioned above briefly and saw over and over again once again. However, the fundamental function of the parliaments is to maintain democracy, human rights and freedoms which are their raison d’etre.
It is not possible not to get worried and to grieve because of the situation. Repression and violence politics which is intended to be brought into force has shown its effects already now:
Demonstrations were than spread to the other cities of the region. The death toll during the incidents up to now is 10. 543 people were detained and 369 of them were ruled to be remanded in custody. 199 of the detainees were juveniles and 91 of them were also remanded in custody. Moreover, Edip Yaşar, chairperson of Tüm Bel-Sen Union; Musa Farizoğulları, Necdet Atalay, Muhlis Altın and Nusret Akın, chairpersons of DTP provincial offices are arrested due to their declarations. With regards to UN Convention on the Rights of Children and articles on judgment of the child in the national legislation are completely ruled out by the state and judiciary officials. Because there is not a child prison, the arrested children are put in the same prison with adults and the children are subjected to the same conditions with adults.
Attacks and clashes are continuing in the region. 6 soldiers died yesterday.
We repeat; for how many times will we continue to be indifferent to the violence wave penetrated into all instances of our life including our understanding of state and governing and our understanding of justice demand. How many people should die to do something on tolerance, peace and disarmament?
Whatever the reason and the purpose is, VIOLENCE is definitely not SOLUTION.
We say “stop violence and arms”. Let’s launch a campaign targeting to consolidate tolerance, peace and disarmament. The government and political parties especially the Parliament should lead this campaign and avoid the arrangements having risk to bring into agenda past violence policies which will restrain rights and freedoms. We invite the society to common sense and other governmental authorities to apply on democratic and peaceful solutions to the last and not to use violence in solution of the social problems. We don’t want our people to die. We invite all circles of the society to reject violence, not to use violence and to express their demands and problems in a peaceful and democratic way.