Our Istanbul MP Filiz Kerestecioğlu gave a speech on the latest political situation in Turkey at The Europlan B Conference in Copenhagen:
Dear Comrades,
Thank you for inviting me to this conference. When I was invited to the conference, the post-coup crackdown was not as severe as it is today. Our co-chairs had not been detained. Today, not only our co-chairs, Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş but also eight further Members of Parliament (MP) of our party, namely Nursel Aydogan, Leyla Birlik, Ferhat Encü, Selma Irmak, Gülser Yildirim, Abdullah Zeydan, Nihat Akdoğan and parliamentary group deputy chairman Idris Baluken are detained. More arrests are to be expected. The goal of these measures is legally or at least in practice to shut down the third-largest party in parliament. That’s why we announced that we will cease our legislative activities in Turkey’s Grand National Assembly and deliberate and consult our Party members.
These politicians were detained due to their statements which is the result of the violation of speech freedom. Not only politicians but also writers, academicians, journalists, students and workers are faced with the same accusations.
Dozens of elected local leaders including Gültan Kışanak who is the former leader of Peace and Democracy Party and the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Mayor have been removed from office or put into jail and replaced by trustees appointed by the national government in recent months and weeks.
Female mayors who have been removed from the office are the ones who implement multiple gender equality programs and set policies focusing on women’s need to wipe up the inequality. A number of shelters for women who face violence have been opened only in the few couple of years with the efforts of these women. Now, all-male and patriotic trustees closed many women centers. They fired or replaced women who work in these centers.
Replacing the local leaders with trustees is also related to economic rent. The co-chair of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality has long been fighting against the government’s mega projects and urban transformation projects which have no benefit to the public but only to the capitalists who have close bonds with the government. The government is in an economic crisis now and trying to find a way out.
Furthermore, the crackdown has lately reached violently the NGOs. Only a week ago, the Turkish interior ministry declared 370 NGOs and associations that were operating legally inside Turkey to be closed down. Offices were raided following the issuing of the decree. The majority of these NGOs form an essential component of civil society and have been providing vital services such as legal advice, help for prisoners and their families, assistance to women victims of violence and promoting cultural activities.
There are examples of associations closed down that have no relation with Kurdish movement as well. Namely, Contemporary Lawyers’ Association which is a left-wing association that gives legal advice or Gündem Çocuk which is founded to monitor international agreements in regard to children’s rights in Turkey. At the same time they have brought an sensational amendment that alarms everyone in Turkey. The proposal would defer sentencing or punishment for sexual assault in cases where the victim and perpetrator were married.
As the war in Turkey has increased the violence against women, the oppressive policies aiming to silence the opposition has also destroyed the freedom of the press. Women killings, workers killings, oppression towards LGBTIs has been covered up. Unfortunately, especially after the 15th of July sexual harassment and torture have reemerged again in police stations.
Today, women who do join a protest face brutal violence by law enforcement forces. Currently, HDP Mp Hüda Kaya, former Mp and co-chair of The Democratic Regions Party Sebahat Tuncel along with many others were attacked by police just because they wanted to make a press statement. Similarly, the reason lifting my immunity is on charges of “violating the law on assembly” in a press statement organized by women against war. A bill of indictment has been drawn up demanding up to three years in prison for me for such a simple case.
I also regret to say that, LGBTI community is in deep fear today. We witness that men turned to be more “daring” to insult women and LGBTIs; because they copy the patriotic behavior of Erdoğan and misogynist reactions of members of the ruling party.
The refugee deal between Turkey and Europe had aroused legal and political controversy on human rights and international law from the day it has been released. However, now it is crystal clear that human rights has no effect; what only effects the most is the power relations between governments. Today, Syrian women and girls are sexually exploited, some are forced to child marriages or temporary marriages for prostitution. Today there is not even any reports in Turkey about women trafficking– except Yazidis who survived from ISIS.
Today there are around 1.5 million Syrian refugee children in Turkey. Only three hundred thousand of them are living in refugee camps and have access to education. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of them are working. We kept raising these issues in many international platforms, but the problems that refugees face were not even in the agenda of European leaders. They chose to thank Erdoğan for his effort for refugees. Nor they took action while the law enforcement forces of the government burning down Kurdish cities and killing thousands of civilians. They have utterly failed to sense the dictatorial ambitions of Erdoğan. Now it is well known that they do not have a chance to compel or control Erdoğan. Today hope only raises within the masses, women, workers, folks and the LGBTI community and the power that can stop the dictatorial snowball effect in Europe and all around the world is in the hands of the Left. Syrians are all world citizens. It is time to put more pressure on our governments to follow more transparent policies and stop this dirty war.
I would like to finish my speech with the words of a journalist based in Diyarbakır, Nurcan Baysal. When her colleagues from the west ask “how is she?”, “as Diyarbakır” she replies. We are also like Turkey: sad, angry, offended but still standing bold upright. I salute all you with the belief that we will meet again in a more free world some day.
Filiz Kerestecioğlu
November 19, 2016