While Abdulhamit Bilici, the last editor-in-chief of Zaman Newspaper, was describing the human rights violations in Turkey at the U.S. Congress Human Rights Committee, one question kept spinning in my mind: “When will Turkey reach this level?”
I’m not referring to the effective oversight mechanisms conducted through the committees of the U.S. Congress. I wish Turkey could reach that level one day, but the Erdoğan regime has made the Turkish Grand National Assembly dysfunctional and hollowed it out as well.
What I want to highlight is a part of my colleague Abdulhamit Bilici’s presentation. While discussing the human rights violations and the lawlessness of the Erdoğan regime in Turkey, Bilici brought to the agenda all victims without discrimination.
From Hidayet Karaca to 78-year-old Nihat Toktar, who was arrested for giving bread to students, from Selahattin Demirtaş to Can Atalay, Bilici used examples from all segments of society, showing the formula that Turkey needs in just a few minutes.
If the Erdoğan regime stops favoring certain neighborhoods, does not ask about the identities of the oppressed, and defends everyone’s rights as its own, then the problem will largely be resolved. Unfortunately, Bilici’s maturity is not shown by journalists and politicians. Everyone is crying over their own victims.
Moreover, those who rebel for their own grievances do not hesitate to accuse other community segments, who are not from their neighborhood, using the language of the regime. Consider Selahattin Demirtaş, who knows better than anyone why he is in prison, can even chew the ‘fetö’ gum using regime rhetoric. Can Atalay also signed a similar misfortune.
Journalists display the most disgraceful examples of neighborhood favoritism and tribalism. These so-called opposition colleagues, when counting journalists in prison or talking about victims of the regime, only mention examples from their own neighborhood. They even recklessly repeat the regime’s narrative that ‘they are not journalists but terrorists.’
I have attended countless meetings, panels, or TV shows. None had the democratic maturity Abdulhamit Bilici showed yesterday. With a few exceptions, no one is able to advocate for rights without considering the victim’s identity.
However, how effective it is to come together against the oppressor without neighborhood discrimination was experienced just last week with the example of Van. In the local elections, Erdoğan received a historic slap in Van, then tried to steal the will of the people with a new fait accompli through the YSK, setting a trap for the people and the DEM Party.
But when the community as a whole stood shoulder to shoulder against this fait accompli, the Palace and its apparatus had to back down. If Turkey can show this reflex in other situations as well, rest assured, everything will be very different.
Returning to yesterday’s meeting; I considered the meeting very important. Because the Human Rights Committee is one of the most important and popular committees of the U.S. Congress.
The meetings are broadcast live, and the presentations enter the records of the U.S. Congress. Thus, what Abdulhamit Bilici and Enes Kanter discussed, the visuals they shared, and the videos they showed will go down in history. This aspect makes it very valuable.
The interest was great due not only to the developments in the region where Turkey is located but also because of President Tayyip Erdoğan’s official visit to Washington DC after many years. The room was so full that the live broadcast became the committee’s most-watched meeting to date.
Two hours were not enough to describe the actions of Erdoğan and his regime apparatus. Frankly, even a whole day would not have been enough. But what Enes Kanter and Abdulhamit Bilici described, based on their personal experiences, significantly affected the American politicians. Moreover, these events are not from the dusty pages of history but are ongoing, current, and widespread problems.
Imagine, a 78-year-old baker was being discussed by American politicians in disbelief, arrested for ‘terrorism’ for giving bread to needy students. Congressman Chriss Smith described these actions as ‘cruelty.’
The astonishment of the U.S. Congressman I spoke to about my personal story after the panel was worth seeing. On the way to the meeting room or leaving after the program, I came across many familiar faces.
There’s a tradition in the U.S. Congress known as ‘Hill Day.’ Voters or lobbying groups from all over the country meet with their representatives to discuss their concerns.
Thus, the grievances of 78-year-old Nihat Toktar, who was arrested for giving bread to students, or Hidayet Karaca, who is in his ninth year in a cell, were not only brought up in the Human Rights Committee meeting room.
Finally, it is worth noting that the stories of a victim who has been tortured in prison, crossed the Meriç River with his pregnant wife, whose child was born in a neighboring country, and who finally settled in America, are more effective than the presentations of lobbying firms worth millions of dollars.
