NECİP F. BAHADIR
During Erdoğan’s speech, nine young people were arrested for protesting “AKP’s trade with Israel.” Surprised? No…
Criticizing AKP policies has long been prohibited, and even giving Erdoğan a sideways glance is a crime. If you dare to confront Erdoğan’s hypocrisy to his face, prepare to pick a cold cell in prison. That’s the reality of Turkey today. Journalist Kazım Güleçyüz was arrested simply for sharing a humane condolence message. Nasuh Mahruki is in jail just for saying, “I don’t trust the Supreme Electoral Council.”
Still, this incident is significant in summarizing and reflecting AKP’s era. Its echoes, especially in the “political Islam” sphere, cannot be ignored.
Discussing the legal aspect of these arrests is meaningless. Detention periods were exceeded, the case was referred to a terrorism prosecutor, and after four days, the detainees were sent directly to court with a request for arrest. This is unacceptable under normal circumstances.
At the very least, the prosecutor could have asked, “Kids, why did you do this? What was your purpose?” But apparently, he didn’t feel the need to take their statements. Why would he? If the verdict has already been delivered, there’s no point in asking questions. In this country, even the semblance of law, justice, and fairness has vanished.
The detention and arrest of nine individuals without any interrogation has made this bitter truth clear to everyone. When Melek İpek said, “If they could bring me here, they could bring anyone here,” was she wrong?
A few days ago, Turkey’s rapporteur N. Sanchez Amor stated, “İsmail! You’re prosecuting 14-year-old girls for terrorism, and your judges ask them, ‘Why did you go to your neighbor’s house to study?’” Was he wrong? Did İsmail, part of the Turkish delegation, have any response? What could he say?
Society Has Become “Mute Devils”!
Is there any AKP member who can explain why Erdoğan replaced Çetin Doğan, a convict from the Balyoz coup case, with Melek İpek in a prison cell? Is there any response other than remaining silent, turning a blind eye, and pretending not to hear? Isn’t silence in the face of injustice akin to being a mute devil?
While Anatolian lands are going through the heaviest legal crisis in their history, it’s surprising that some are shocked by the arrest of nine people for protesting Erdoğan, saying, “Cut trade with Israel!” Yet, it is essential to document this moment in history and send a message to the future: This tyranny won’t last. Time turns; the day will come for reckoning. And on that day, woe to AKP! Its record of crimes and sins is so extensive…
Let’s pose another question to AKP supporters: If those nine people had protested Netanyahu’s Gaza policies in Tel Aviv instead of Erdoğan’s in Istanbul, would they have been arrested? Would a terrorism prosecutor have investigated them? Absolutely not. Netanyahu faces protests and demonstrations in his own country.
What is the harmless protest of these nine youths, which consisted purely of words? Rest assured, Erdoğan’s justice system is worse than Netanyahu’s. This incident has revealed this truth to the entire world, making AKP oppression visible to those who didn’t see it and audible to those who didn’t hear it.
The Ships Shuttling Between Turkey and Israel
Was it wrong when an İYİ Party MP revealed that a ship departing from Kocaeli turned off its signal system to avoid detection as it headed toward Israel? Can a massive ship be erased with lies and denial? It’s no longer a hidden secret but a reality that AKP ships are shuttling between Turkey and Israel.
Where does Israel’s lifeblood—oil—come from? Isn’t it Turkey’s territory? Didn’t AKP member Özlem Zengin admit, “As Turkey, we are responsible for operating this pipeline, meaning we have no involvement with the oil passing through it!”? According to Özlem Zengin’s statement, Turkey earns $1.27 per barrel, amounting to approximately 31 million lira daily at current exchange rates. Who can say this money is clean? Isn’t that money soaked in the blood of children targeted by Israeli bombs in Gaza? For AKP, it’s all about money…
A Mother’s Heartbreaking Cry
The judiciary buildings, ironically named “palaces,” have echoed with countless cries and laments. Now, they have added the heartbreaking cry of a mother whose daughter was arrested:
“I came here to take my daughter home. Unfortunately, she was arrested. My belief in justice in this country is completely gone. These children did nothing. Is this justice? Weren’t we on Palestine’s side? Weren’t we Palestine? What happened? Why does even the smallest act for Palestine end in imprisonment? Is this what it means to stand with Palestine? I no longer believe in justice.”
Hey Erdoğan! Do you have an answer for these questions pouring out from a mother’s grieving heart? Or will you nonsensically retort, “Don’t speak with a Zionist tongue…” to this distressed woman as well? Look at her face, her headscarf—she’s from your neighborhood, even your street. But see what she says: “My belief in justice is gone!” she cries.
Will you not hear this voice either? Is it worth clinging to power and the throne at the expense of making children and mothers weep? A government that causes such pain cannot prosper. Never before have the eyes of this nation been so full of tears.
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