Please help this man
James Hutchings
I got this letter from Turkey, from a man who is threatened with
death at the hands of the police. I don't really know what to do about
it - if you can read it, pass it on to other people, human rights groups
etc, and send any suggestions to us at copsa...@hotmail.com.
Thank you,
James.
-------------
Hello,
With the last piece of hope in my heart I'm writing this letter to you.
I hope you read and answer it. As you can figure out from the envelope
I live in Turkey. I study Environmental Engineering in a university
here. This is my third year. The reason I'm writing to you is I really
need your help. As I'll explain below I'm in such a bad condition. I
saw Activate this summer. I read it once and I liked it a lot. I an an
anarchist too. Here I and my friends are trying to deliver an anarchist
fan-zine, I also work for an anti-militaristic charity. Let me tell you
the hell I am in. I don't know if you know much about happenings here.
As most of the world knows, here there's a fascist government. Thinking
is even a crime according to the laws. There are hundreds of authors,
actors, artists and poets in the horrible jails of Turkey. Just because
they said what they believed. In jails dozens of people are suffering
because of physical violence that they have to face. Wetting with cold
water, beating, giving electricity to the sexual organ, rape etc are
just few of the methods that police use. Courts are their courts, laws
are their laws, army is their army they do whatever they want.
If you are lucky you are judged and put into jail. If you are not you
can DISAPPEAR one day. There are hundreds of people who are
DISAPPEARED. Maybe this sounds weird to you and you don't understand.
For example if you are a political person. And working for an
organisation against government. Go to the meetings organised, read the
forbidden books. One day they come and take you. And nobody sees you
again. Of course they kill the ones that they got. Let me give you two
examples.
- Couple of years ago 'Hason Ocak', a socialist man working in a labour
union disappeared. So later, his dead body was found in 'Homeless
graveyard'. - Couple of years ago 'A-Serkan Fraglu', a boy studying in a
university disappeared. He was the reader of a socialist paper called
'Kaldriac'. His dead body was found in one of the toilets of the
university. Police said Serkan hang himself. His friends said a week
before the death, police took him for 2 days, and after that he told his
friends that police threatened him with killing. Governments medicine
institute examined the dead body and said "SUICIDE". After that
Serkan's sister, who was a doctor, asked the body from the police, and
said she wanted it
to be checked in a private hospital. First they didn't accept after
than because of the pressure of Serkan's relatives they gave. After the
body's checked, the private hospital announced that the death time was
04.30am, and that it was a murder.
These are two random examples of hundreds. In Istanbul, every Saturday
mothers of the people who are disappeared by the government make a
meeting. They carry the pictures of their children and carry candles.
During the first months police didn't do anything, but for the last
three weeks they don't let the meeting and beat the women nearly about
50-60 years old.
(I'm sending you a piece from a newspaper about this with brief summary
of its translation) [reproduced at the end of the letter]
But the worst of all these is something else. There is a war in the
south east of the country between Turkish army forces and Kurdish
independence guerillas. This war is existing for nearly 15 years and
too many people died either Turk or Kurd. None of the governments want
to stop the war because they get commission from America as they buy
weapons from them. They also hold the drug traffic coming from the
east. They earn money from the dead body of the youth.
Let's come to my position. As every political university student they
see me potential danger. But more from that I have special position. I
have a Kurd darling (we are not married). She's an anarchist too. MIT
(intelligence agency of Turkey) is watching us every step we take. Once
they took me to a police department, beat a lot, put burning cigarettes
on my arms and threatened me. They said if I don't stop working in
these things they would kill my (in their slang terms sorry) Kurdish
dirty bitch. They asked me if I would like to see her f____d before
they kill and something about that. They jailed and beat me and after
that they let me go. I can't sleep at nights. My darling is getting
unknown telephone calls threatening her with death. Spies are
everywhere watching me. Our lives are luxury for us. We don't know
when they'll come and knock the door and put us in Homeless Graveyard.
On the other hand there's my position with the army. According to the
law after I finish university I have to do my military service. That's
why I'm studying, not for being a rich engineer or for dignity. I don't
want to go there. There are lots of people went there and died. If I
refuse to go to the army the punishment of it is 7 years in jail. If I
accept going to the army, it's 1/3 of the length, 2.5 years.
The only chance to survive for me is going out of the country. So many
people try this way. Escaping - but it's too hard too. Most of the
countries put difficulties for Visa and never let you to work and live
in their country. I went to some consulates, all of them refused. Maybe
me and my darling get the Visa to go out but in a period of time we have
to come back because the country that we go will kick us back unless we
get political asylum or the right of being a citizen.
Going and asking political asylum or marrying a foreigner is sad to me.
I don't know what to do. You are my last chance. We believe in some
hopes, some ideas that I think you could help.
I have to go without finishing the school or they will take me in the
airport if I try to go out after the school. I don't want to join the
army. I don't want to wear a uniform, carry a gun and try to kill my
brothers there. I don't want to see nightmares about bombs, guns and
blood any more.
I don't want to lost my darling. I can't face her death. I love her
very much.
At the end of my letter I'm asking you my friends.
You are our last hope. Please help us go out from this country. How
can we come there? We are waiting for your answer,
Please help us.
Mert Seyhan
Sirinyer-Izmir
Turkey.
[the press clipping he sent is from the 'Milliyet' newspaper, 25
September 1998]
16 more Unsolved Murders in One Month
According to the "August 1998 Human Rights Report", during this month 16
more unsolved murders took place.
12 people were killed without trial, 2854 people arrested, and the
courts gave a total of 97 years jail [for political 'crimes']
There were 86 cases of physical violence in arrests
103 people jailed
7 newspapers closed
8 organisations closed
36 magazines declared 'forbidden' and banned
129 people jailed for 'thought crimes'
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