Sevinç Özarslan – TR724/April 30, 2025
Mehmet Tank, a former tax judge who was dismissed from his post and imprisoned for five years in Turkey following the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016, shared his harrowing experience in a full-page interview published by Austria’s prestigious daily, Der Standard.
Titled “They Were Looking for an Excuse to Shoot Me,” the interview was conducted in Vienna by journalists Renate Graber and Jakob Pflügl, at the office of Sabine Matejka, Vice President of the International Association of Judges.
“I Paid the Price for Defending Judicial Independence”
Tank revealed that he was first exiled from Istanbul to Mersin in 2016 and later arrested due to an article he wrote criticizing the government. Although officially charged with “membership in a terrorist organization” and “participation in a coup attempt,” Tank says the real reason for his imprisonment was his outspokenness in defense of an independent judiciary.
He played an active role in the now-dissolved Judges and Prosecutors Association (YARSAV), and in 2012 he was appointed deputy chair of a committee within the International Association of Judges.
“I Faced the Threat of Execution During Transfer”
Tank recounted a chilling experience during his imprisonment. After being ordered to pack his belongings within five minutes, he was transported in a vehicle with a convicted criminal. The vehicle suddenly stopped in a remote area:
“They took me out of the van. I thought they were going to stage an escape attempt and shoot me. Fortunately, there were cameras inside the vehicle as part of EU standards. That may have saved my life.”
“I Missed My Family – And the Sky”
Tank described the overcrowded prison conditions, sharing a cell with 32 other inmates. He said he endured the isolation by reading books and exchanging thoughts through letters.
“At one point, I truly believed I would never see the sky again. But receiving letters of support from abroad helped me hold on.”
“I Left Turkey for Fear of Re-Arrest”
Released on parole in 2021, Tank left Turkey in 2023 with his family. Although he originally planned to go to the United States, delays in the process led him to seek asylum in Switzerland. At Istanbul Airport, he was confronted with three separate travel bans, which he managed to have lifted before finally departing.
“Turkey Has Abandoned the Rule of Law”
Tank warned that the independence of the judiciary in Turkey has collapsed, with the regime silencing all forms of dissent. He called on Western nations to learn from what happened in Turkey:
“Attacks on the judiciary affect not just lawyers, but academics, journalists, and citizens. The rule of law is a universal value—it must be protected by all of us.”
