SESSİZ ÇIĞLIK'TAN BİR SES- A VOICE FROM THE SILENT SCREAM

TÜRKÇE (For English text, please scroll down.)

Artık protestolar, eylemler, forumlar derken mesele o kadar dağıldı ki bir zamandır Vardiya Bizde'nin Sessiz Çığlık eylemleri dışında bir etkinliğe katılmadık. Hâlbuki bu arada neler neler oldu; 22 Eylül'deki Beşiktaş-Galatasaray maçında kendine 1453 Kartalları diyen bir grup önce Çarşı grubuyla dalaşmış sonra da sahaya inip maçın iyice rezilini çıkartmış, fatura "Çarşı" grubuna çıkmış, arkasından aramalar, gözaltılar... Gezi Parkı cadı avı (ya da "çapulcu" avı) da bitmiş değil. 

Olaylı maç: 1453 Kartalları yaptı, fatura Çarşı'ya, Beşiktaş'a, hatta Galatasaray ve Fenerbahçe taraftar gruplarına çıktı. Kısaca Gezi Parkı'na destek olan tüm Istanbul United'a. 

(Görüntü medyadan.) 

ODTÜ ormanından yol geçirme çalışmasına gençler karşı koyuyorlar. İstanbul'un kuzey ormanlarını korumak isteyen çevreciler 28 Eylül'de orman kılığına girip İstiklâl caddesinde yürümüş. (Sahi yahu, İstiklâl caddesinde 2005 yılına kadar gerçek ağaçlar da vardı!)

ODTÜ, ormanını korumaya çalışıyor, Eylül 2013.

(Görüntü medyadan.)

İstiklâl caddesi'nde kuzey ormanları için yürüyenler.

(Görüntü medyadan)

Gözaltında çıplak aramalara karşı Mısır Çarşısı'nda bir protesto oldu (25 Eylül). İstanbul Üniversitesi öğrencileri AKP'li bakan Nabi Avcı'yı sokmayacaklarını bildirince bakan da durumu zorlamadı (bugün, 30 Eylül). Özelleştirmeye karşı harekete geçen Yatağan termik santrali işçileri "dağa çıkmayanın sözü dinlenmiyor" diyerek Sodra Dağı'na çıktılar (24 Eylül'den beri); arkasından Ankara'ya yürüyüş planlanıyor.

Bakan Avcı için "karşılama komitesi".

(Görüntü medyadan.)

Yatağan işçileri dağa vurmuşlar!

(Görüntü medyadan.)

Bu kargaşada bugün başbakan Erdoğan'ın meşhur "demokratikleşme paketi" çıktı, görünüşe göre birçoğu zaten uygulamada gerçekleşmiş olan değişimler- bazısı zararlı, bazısı suya sabuna dokunmaz, bazısı neye hizmet ettiği belirsiz- "reform" adıyla paketten çıkmış. Tavşan fare doğurdu denebilir; gerçi fareden de veba yayılır, neyse, bu paket çok tartışılacak, tartışan tartışsın. Ben paketi hazırlayana bakarım; AKP'den geldiyse aynen iade, return to sender, en mantıklı görünende bile vardır bir art düşünce,

Bu arada bir taraftan 28 Şubat ve "Casusuluk ve Fuhuş" davaları devam ediyor, Balyoz davası da yargıtay aşamasında. Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi'nden kalkınma beklemediğim gibi adalet de beklemem, onun için Cumartesi günleri Beşiktaş rutinimizi daha uzun müddet devam ettireceğe benzeriz.  

21 Eylül 2013 günkü rastlayan Sessiz Çığlık eylemi Balyoz hükümlerinin yıldönümüne geliyordu ve katılım normalden fazla oldu. (Bkz: "Balyoz Hükümleri", 22 Eylül 2012.)

Vardiya Bizde Platformu o gün şu yazıyı dağıttı. Aynen aktarıyorum, hatarlamakta yarar var zira bu yoğun gündemde bazı şeyler unutulabiliyor:

"BALYOZ DAVASI'NA ŞİMDİYE KADAR NELER OLDU?

"-Sanıklar için tahliye taleb eden yargıçlar görevlerinden alındı.

"-Dava sürecinde sanıkların savunma hakları kısıtlandı.

"-Avukatlar salondan atılarak haklarında soruşturma başlatıldı.

"-Sanıklar ve avukatlar mahkeme heyetinin hakaretlerine maruz kaldı.

"-Tamamı dijital olan delillerle ilgili mahkemeye sunulan bilirkişi raporları dikkate alınmadı.

"-Sanıkların lehine olan bazı bilgiler, iddianameye ya da ek delil klasörlerine konmayıp, adli emanette saklandı.

"-Savcılar iddianamede binlerce çelişkili bilgiye yer vermedikleri gibi tüm delillerin 'tutarlı' olduğunu iddianameye yazarak yanlış ve yanıltıcı beyanda bulundular.

"- Sözde darbeyi engelledikleri iddia edilen komutanlar mahkemede tanık olarak dinlenmedi.

"-Sözde darbe planından birinci derecede etkilenecek olan AK Parti hükümeti davaya müdahil olmadı.

"Ancak 'Özel Yetkili' 10. Ağır Ceza Mahkemesi davanın sonunda orgeneralinden devlet memuru hanıma kadar 321 sanığa 13,5 yıl ile 20 yıl arası değişen hapis cezaları verdi.

"VARDİYA BİZDE PLATFORMU"

(Tashlık'ta Balyoz davasına ve Vardiya Bizde Platformu'nun Sessiz Çığlık eylemlerine birçok kez yer verdim, dönüp bakabilirsiniz. "Vardiya Bizde", 6 Kasım 2012, "Balyoza Balyoz", 5 Şubat 2013, "Çığlık Atılası", 12 Şubat 2013, "Çocuklarını Yiyen", 19 Şubat 2013.)

Her Cumartesi saat 13:00'te Beşiktaş meydanında gerçekleştirilen Sessiz Çığlık eylemlerinde çok güzel konuşmalar olur; bazen tutuklulardan gelen mektuplar okunur, bazen tutukluların eşleri, çocukları, yakınları duygularını paylaşır, bazen destekleyen yazarlar, gazeteciler, aydınlar görüşlerini aktarırlar, bazen de vatandaşlık bilinci gelişmiş vicdanları yüksek kişiler sözü alır. Beşiktaş'ın trafiği ve kalabalığı bu sözlerin çoğunu yutar, götürür.

O gün vatandaşlık bilinci gelişmiş ve vicdanı yüksek aşina simalardan biriyle karşılaştık. Bizimle bir yazısını ve şiirini paylaştı. Bir hafta önceki Sessiz Çığlık'ta  okumuş. İstersem yayınlayabileceğimi söyledi. Ben bunu bir görev addederek burada aynen yayınlıyorum; bu bir tek vatandaşın görüş ve hislerini paylaşarak bu güne kadar aktaramamış olduğum birçok güzel sözün borcunu biraz ödemiş olacağımı ümit ederim.

 

Sessiz Çığlık, 21 Eylül 2013, Beşiktaş, İstanbul.

Solda bu blog'un yazarı, sağda aşağıdaki satırların ve şiirin yazarı.

(Görüntü kendi objektifimden.)

"Silivri'deki düzmece mahkemelerde, devlet gücüyle, sanık sandalyesine oturtulanlara isnat edilen suç 'Örgüt faaliyetleri çerçevesinde cebir ve şiddet kullanarak, Türkiye Cumhuriyetini ortadan kaldırmaya veya görevini yapamaz hale getirmeye çalışmak' olmuştur. Halbuki, onlar ne böyle bir suçu işlemişlerdir, ne de böyle bir suça teşebbüs etmişlerdir. Yalın gerçek budur.

"Onlar Cumhuriyetin değerlerine, Aydınlanma devrimine, Atatürk İlke ve İnkilaplarına sahip çıktıkları için yargılanmış ve hüküm giymişlerdir. Silivri'de bu ülkenin en güzide evlatlarının, bilim adamlarının, yazarlarının, gazetecilerinin, siyasetçilerinin, askerlerinin şahsında, ulusalcılık, Atatürkçülük, Cumhuriyetin değerleri yargılanmıştır ve bizi biz yapan değerler hüküm giymiştir.

"Yürekleri insan ve vatan sevgisiyle dolu olan asker ailelerinin oluşturduğu Vardiya Bizde platformunun gerçekleştirdiği 'Sessiz Çığlık' eylemi, sadece bir mağduriyetin protestosu değil, Cumhuriyetin değerlerine, ülkenin geleceğine ve adalete sahip çıkma etkinliğidir. Bu toprakların evladı olduğunu kabul eden ve ülkenin geleceğine sahip çıkma bilincinde olan herkesin bu eyleme destek olması gerekir.

"ABD, Cemaat ve AKP koalisyonunun Türkiye'de iktidar olmasıyla birlikte, Aydınlanma devrimine karşı sivil, kara bir darbe gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu darbenin amacı, Aydınlanma devrimiyle birlikte, yönünü çağa döndürmüş ve bu yönde önemli mesafeler almış olan Türkiye'nin yönünü Ortaçağ karanlıklarına döndürmek ve ülkeyi gericiliğin egemen olduğu, sömürge bir ülke haline getirmektir. Demokrasinin ve özgürlüklerin güvencesi olan laikliği etkisizleştirmek bu işin olmazsa olmazıdır. Silivri mahkemeleri, bu amacın gerçekleşmesini engelleyecek güçleri, adaleti yozlaştırarak, etkisizleştirmek görevini üstlenmiştir. Savunma hakkının yok sayıldığı, sahte delillerin kabul edildiği, aynı şahsın sanık, tanık ve gizli tanık olduğu adil olmayan bir yargılamayı gerçekleştiren Silivri mahkemeleri, sadece Türk hukuk tarihine değil, dünya hukuk tarihine de kara bir sayfa yazmıştır. Bu "sessiz çığlık" aynı zamanda, bu hukuk faciasına gösterilen bir tepkidir. Hiç kimse, bu tablo karşısında hukuka saygıdan söz etmesin. Çünkü hukuksuzluğa tepki hukuka saygıdır. Adaletin alçakça hançerlenmesinin karşısında, ancak adalete inanmayanlar duyarsız kalır. 

Akif diyor ki:

'Kanayan bir yara gördüm mü yanar ta ciğerim,

Onu dindirmek için kamçı yerim, çifte yerim,

Adam, aldırma da geç git diyemem, aldırırım,

Çiğnerim, çiğnenirim, hakkı tutar kaldırırım.'

"ABD tarafından hazırlanan, CIA himayesinde bulunan cemaat Şeyhinin talimatıyla ve AKP marifetiyle hayata geçirilen komplo, ülkenin karanlığa gidişine zemin hazırlamıştır. Ancak bu oyunu tezgahlayanlara bir çift sözüm var. Cumhuriyetin ve devrimlerin yılmaz bekçileri sadece bu komplonun kurbanları olarak içerde olanlar değil. Dışarıda ülkesinin geleceği için kendini feda etmeye hazır milyonlar var. 'Mustafa Kemal'in Askerleri' var. Canla kanla bedeli ödenen bizi biz yapan değerleri, karanlık emellere kurban etmeyeceğiz,

"Bugün 'Mustafa Kemal'in Askerleri'ni', adaleti katlederek yargılayanları, 'Mustafa Kemal'in Askerleri'nin' adil olarak yargılayacağı gün mutlaka gelecektir."

Ve şimdi de şiiri:

"Ahval

"Aydınlık ufukları, gri bir bulut sardı,

Koyulaşan ufuklar, en sonunda karardı,

Aydınlık kafalara, artık bu dünya dardı,

Demokrasi ülkede, sadece sözde vardı.

"Gaflet düşürdü bizi, örümceğin ağına,

Dolapla su döktüler, askerlik ocağına,

İktidar cemaati, tuttu aldı sağına,

Peşkeş çekti ülkeyi, düzenbaz ortağına.

"Karanlık bir dünyada egemendi cehalet,

Yobazların elinde, yok oldu tüm adalet,

Hukuk Kabe'si olan, mahkemeler rezalet,

Yurdun dört bir yanında, diz boyu bir sefalet.

"Gericilik hortladı, ışığa gidiş durdu,

Katakulli dolapla, sindirildi bir ordu,

Vicdansızlık dağ aştı, bütün kalpleri yordu,

Adalet katil oldu, hakkı kalbinden vurdu.

"Zulüm yazdı göklere, zalimin kara eli,

Esti yurdun üstünde, gericiliğin yeli,

Adaleti süpürdü, vicdansızlığın seli

Hak peşinde koşanlar, onların yeri belli.

"Hukuk çarptırılarak, kesildi hakkın sesi,

Hakka ölüm getirdi, yargıçların nefesi,

Yargı ile yıkıldı, adalet abidesi,

Yargıda ne kaldı ki, hak aramanın nesi?

"Ne varsa elimizde, yandaş bulunca sattık,

Yandaşın ekmeğine, yetim hakkını kattık,

Söz konusu vurgunsa, deveyi pire yaptık,

Öyle tezgah kurduk ki, şeytana kazık attık.

"Ceberrut devlet kesti, halkının nefesini,

Tarih bir gün yazacak, gezi efsanesini,

Halkın üstüne sürdü, devletin polisini,

Polis millete verdi, demokrasi dersini.

"Sandık demokraside, bir elmanın yarısı,

Özgürlükle sistemin, tamamlanır yapısı,

Yüzümüze kapandı, demokrasi kapısı,

Böyle demokrasinin, dost başına darısı.

"Bayrağıma renk verdi, şehidimin al kanı,

Dar kafalar söndürdü, ulusal heyecanı,

Boşa mı kurban verdik, kefensiz yatan canı,

Uyan, kalk, davran artık, yobaz sardı her yanı."

30 Ağustos 2013

Pendik

Emin Varol

Teşekkürler Emin bey.

ENGLISH

With so many protests actions, demonstrations, forums etc. etc. we haven't been able to take part in anything other than the weekly "Silent Scream" (Sessiz Çığlık) rallys of the "Now it's Our Shift" (Vardiya Bizde) platform. Yet so much has happened in the meantime: the soccer game played between Beşiktaş and Galatasaray on September 23rd turned ugly when supporter groups clashed; remarkably, the supporter groups for the same team! Some explanation is required here: tne soccer team Beşiktaş has a well known supporter group that calls itself Çarşı, orthe way they spell it, çArşı, the capital "A" representing the "A" in the circle for anarchic resistance. 

The çArşı logo.

The group took part in the Gezi uprising, particularly making its mark in the eventful night of June 1st, 2013, which saw the strongest conflicts in the Beşiktaş neighbourhood- the home of the team. It has been active in protests and demonstrations since, and enjoy great popularity in the public- so much so that the supporters of other teams have declared themselves "honorary" Beşiktaş fans. (An astrological metaphor was invented: "I support Fenerbahçe but my ascending sign is Beşiktaş".) 

A Galatasaray fan with the red and yellow jersey of his favorite team, but with the logo of the supporter group of the rival Beşiktaş splashed across the back.

(Image from the media.)

No rivalry is so total and so uncompromising as the rivalry between the supporters of different soccer teams, but the magic of Gezi in uniting opposites extended even to the most fanatical hooligans. Even after the Gezi events calmed down, the stadiums echoed with the slogans of the Gezi resistance. We live close to a stadium and I  tell you, when they start chanting Her Yer Taksim, Her Yer Direniş ("Everywhere Taksim, Everywhere Resistance"), the neighbourhood fairly rings!
 

The three major teams of Istanbul combine their emblems and adopt the black and white color scheme of Beşiktaş. Against the repressive AKP, it was the time for "Istanbul United".

The government tried to impose restrictions, banned slogans and banners bearing political messages, but to no avail. Then came the game of September 22nd at Istanbul's "Olympic Stadium" (wishfully built for Olympic games we never could host) well outside the city. Çarşı (or çArşı) was there in force, of course, but so was a new supporter group for the same team that called itself "The Eagles of 1453" (1453 Kartalları), the eagle being the mascot of the Beşiktaş soccer team (known popularly as "the Black eagles") and 1453 being the date Constantinople fell to the Turks- a day of conquest popular with the imperial-minded partisans of the AKP. Clearly, this alternative supporter group was whipped up by the government to squash çArşı, "The Eagles of 1453" charged onto the field during the game, hurled plastic seats around, and çArşı ended up with the blame. The Beşiktaş team was penalized. The government tried to use this as an excuse to persecute and suppress çArşı, and even extended to the supporter groups of other teams. The "Eagles of 1453" vanished into the shadows whence they came!

The eventful game: the "Eagles of 1453" charge the field, leaving the blame on çArşı. The government used the incident as an excuse to tighten the screws on the Beşiktaş supporter group çArşı, and by extension on the Fenerbahçe and Galatrasaray supporter groups; in short, on all of the Istanbul United that supported the Gezi resistance.
(Image from the media.)

Meanwhile, students of the Middle East Technical University (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi) in Ankara are resisting a road construction through their forested campus grounds. The students of this highly reputed institution have been in the forefront in the resistance against the practices and policies of the AKP administration, and have tried actively to ban AKP officials- including prime minister Erdoğan himself- from entering the campus at all. (See: "Tired of All the Fun", 6 January-Ocak 2013). The road through the campus is seen as the government imposing its authority on the unruly university.

The Middle East Technical University defending its wooded campus grounds,

September 2013.

(Image from the media.)

The AKP also has plans for the northern woodlands of Istanbul which are threatened not only bya third airport and the access roads of a third suspension bridge to be built across the Bosphorus, but also by land purchases around these roads by investors close to the AKP who plan to make a quick buck with building schemes on the soon to be favorable locations. Protests in behalf of the threatened woodlads included demonstrators dressed up as trees marching along İstiklâl Caddesi in the Beyoğlu (Pera) district on September 28th. The interesting  protest action caused some, like myself,to recall that there used to be trees along that very same street as well until 2005 (three years into the AKP era!)

"Walking trees", İstiklal Caddesi, Beyoğlu, İstanbul, September 28th, 2013.

(Image from the media.)

A protest demonstration against strip-searching was held at the "Egyptian Market" (Mısır Çarşısı) , Istanbul, on September 25th. AKP minister of Education Nabi Avcı had to cancel his visit to Istanbul University when the students made it clear he wasn't welcome (September 30th). 

Students of Istanbul University making it clear to AKP Minister of Education Nabi Avcı that he is not welcome on campus grounds, September 25th.

 (Image from the media.) 

The laborers of the thermal power plant at Yatağan, near Muğla, have staged a massive anti-government demonstration by marching up and "occupying" the nearby mount Sodra on September 24th and are there ever since. The next step will be a great march to Ankara.

Workers at Yataghan "occupying" Mount Sodra.

(Image from the media.)

Within this state of mounting chaos, all we needed was the "democratization package" unraveled by prime minister Erdoğan today! Some of the great reforms were things already in practice, some were innocuous- but most probably sneaky ways of introducing God knows what, some were visibly time bombs. I am not clever enough to weighs the pros and cons of these "democratizing reforms", I'm certainly at a loss for understanding the necessity for yet more reforms in a system the AKP has been meddling without interruption for a decade. My formula is: check who made the package; if it's from the AKP, return to sender! Even if it sounds reasonable, Erdoğan and the AKP are sure to have an ulterior motive!

In the meantime the "28th of February" trials are still going on, as are the "Adultery and Espionage" trials. The "Sledgehammer" (Balyoz) trials, already concluded, have gone to the Supreme Court of Appeals (Yargıtay), but since the AKP, the Party of Justice and Progress, can offer neither progress nor justice, I have no confidence in a just outcome!

(For the "28th of February" see: I ““Ataturk out of Time", 2 March-Mart 2013, and also in “Devouring his Own Children”, 18 February-Şubat 2013, and footnote 7 of "A Turban by Any Other Name...", 16 July-Temmuz 2012 , for "Adultery and Espionage" see "Adultery and "Espionage", 28 April-Nisan 2013, and  for "Sledgehammer" see: "The Sledgehammer", 6 September-Eylül 2012, "SledgehammerVerdicts", 22 September- Eylül 2012 "Reacting to the SledgehammerVerdicts", 26 September- Eylül 2012.)

We try to participate in the “Silent Scream” demonstrations in Beşiktaş, Istanbul every Saturday. When the AKP rounded up its opponents with the active and imaginative contribution of a police and judiciary infested with moles of the Gülen cult, officers were a prime target. With anti-military feeling strong in the world, they could expect little sympathy. What is more, unlike journalists and intellectuals, also targeted by the AKP government, military men are bound by a code of obedience, so they cannot protest so long as they are in uniform. When officers were rounded up on charges based on false witnesses and fabricated evidence, the wives and families came together and “took over the shift”, calling their solidarity movement “Now It’s Our Shift” (Vardiya Bizde). They organize the weekly “Silent Scream” ("Sessiz Çığlık”) rallys around the country- certainly not very loud and quite genteel, as is to be expected of military families who certainly can’t be rock-throwing types. (I have repeatedly mentioned the “Now It’s Our Shift” movement and the “Silent Scream” protest actions in this blog. See: “Now It’s Our Shift”, 6 November-Kasım 2012, “Hammering The Sledgehammer”, 5 February-Şubat 2013, “Makes You Want to Scream", 12 February-Şubat 2013, and “Devouring His Own Children”, 19 February-Şubat 2013.)

The Silent Scream demonstraton of September 21st, 2013 coincided with the 1st anniversary of the verdicts of the “Sledgehammer” case passed out by the court in the Silivri prison compound. In recognition of the occasion, the ladies of the “Now It’s Our Shift” group passed out phamplets, of which I am giving an exact translation below:

Quote: 

“What happened in the “Sledgehammer” Case up until today?

“Judges requesting the release of the defendants have been relieved of their duties.

 “Restrictions were imposed on the defendants’ right of defense.

“Lawyers were ejected from the courtroom and were themselves subjected to inquiries.

“Defendants and their lawyers were subjected to abusive language from the panel of judges.

“All the evidence was digital data; the reports of experts concerning the reliability of digital data were not taken into consideration.

“Some information supporting the defence were not included in the criminal charge, nor were they filed with the evidence, but were stored away in judicial custody.

“The prosecutors left out thousands of conflicting details, but made a false and misleading statement by including their attestation of the 'consistency of evidences' in the indictment.

“The commanders who allegedly foiled the coup were never heard in court.

“The AKP, the direct target of the so-called coup, refrained from becoming an intervening party in the case.

“Yet the 10th High Criminal Court with Special Powers meted out sentences from 13.5 to 20 years to 321 defendants, ranging from generals to a lady civil servant.

“Now It’s Our Shift Platform”

Unquote.

 

There are many fine things said in the course of the Silent Scream rallys; sometimes letters are read from jailed relatives, sometimes poetry is recited, sometimes letters from jailed relatives are read out. On occasion there will be a journalist or two, but only the Ulusal channel is there regularly. Maybe a political figure giving support come around to say a few words. Sometimes it will be a conscientious citizen who takes the microphone to express his views. And half of what is said is drowned out in the uncaring bustle of crowded Beşiktaş.

On that day we came acrosss one such conscientious citizen, one of the regulars, who shared with us an essay and a poem he had written and read out the previous week. He said I could publish them if I liked. Up until now I have neglected to pass on any of the fine speeches, heartfelt poems, touching letters that I heard at the “Silent Scream” rallys; this gentleman's writings will have to represent them all. I am presenting them here.

"Silent Scream", September 21st, 2013

Your blogger posing with the author of the following text and poem.

(Image from my own camera.)

 (I am giving the best translation I can. The explanations in brackets are my own words.)

“The accusation directed at those placed at the defendants’ seat by the power of the state at the fake courts of Silivri was: ‘organized attempt to liquidate by force and violence the Turkish Republic or to render it unable to fulfill its duties’. But the plain truth is that the defendants have committed no such crime, nor have they attempted it.

"They have been tried and convicted because of their dedication to the values of the Republic, to the Revolution of Enlightenment, and to Ataturk’s principles and reforms. In the persons of the eminent scions of this land, the scientists, authors, journalists, politicians and soldiers, it is nationalism, Kemalism, and the values of the Republic that have stood trial, and they have condemned the values that make us what we are. 

“The ‘Silent Scream’ activity realized by the ‘Now It’s Our Shift’ movement of those sincere humanists and patriots, the families of military personnel, is more than just a protest raised against unfair treatment; it is an action in defense of the values of the Republic, of the future of the country, and of justice. Anybody who is conscious of being the child of this land and is aware of the necessity of defending its future should support this action.

“With the seizure of power of the AKP-US-Cemaat (Gülen Cult) coalition came the launching of a dark civilian coup against the Revolution of the Enlightenment. The aim of this coup is to turn Turkey’s course away from the contemporary, a course in which it had made considerable progress since the Revolution of the Enlightenment, and set a new heading back towards the middle ages, making it a regressive, colonized country. To achieve such an end, they had to overcome secularizm, the essential safeguard for democracy and freedom. The Silivri courts were assigned to neutralize the forces that could obstruct this operation, and it fulfilled this assignment by disregarding justice, denying the right to defense, accepting fabricated evidence, having the same persons as defendants, witnesses and secret witnesses, thereby writing a whole new page in the history of law of Turkey and the world. This “silent scream” is also a reaction to this judicial calamity. Let no one say we should “respect the rule of law”. The way to “respect the rule of law” is by reacting to injustice. Only those who have no faith in justice can stand by and watch as justice is mercilessly stabbed.
(The poet Mehmet) “Akif says:

“When I see a bleeding wound, I burn deep in my lungs,

“To soothe that wound, I’ll bear lashing whips and kicking hooves,

“I can’t say ‘care not, move on’, I care,

“I shall trample, shall be trampled, grasp justice and lift it up.

“The plot prepared by the CIA and put into action by the sheikh of the community (Fethullah Gülen) prepared the groundwork for the country’s journey to darkness. But I have a word or two to those who have prepared this game. The guardiands of the Republic are not confined to the victims of this plot now behind bars. There are millions outside ready to sacrifice themselves for the future of their country. There are ‘Mustafa Kemal’s Soldiers’. (Quoting a popular protest slogan. ‘We Are Mustafa Kemal’s Soldiers). The values that make us what we are were won at a great price in lives and blood, we will not allow them to be sacrificed for dark purposes.

“Those who have tried ‘Mustafa Kemal’s Soldiers’ in unfair trials will soon themselves stand trial, but fairly, before ‘Mustafa Kemal’s Soldiers’.”

Unquote.

And now the poem, as well as I can manage. I’ll try to make as faithful a translation as possible; don’t expect meters and rhymes. A lot is still bound to become unclear in translation. Here goes! (Ahem!)

“The circumstances

“Grey clouds enclose the bright horizons,

“The darkening horizons have finally grown black.

“This world has become too narrow for bright minds,

“Democracy exists in this country in world only.

“Through apathy we find ourselves trapped in the spider’s web.

“They have poured buckets of water onto the hearth of the soldier

“The rulership has taken the Cemaat (Gülen’s ‘community’) to its right

“And sold off the country to its cheating partner.

“In this dark world reigns ignorance supreme,

“Justice has vanished in the hands of (religious) bigots,

“The courts, once the Kaaba (holiest temple) of justice, are now a disgrace,

“While in the four corners of the country, it’s destitution up to the knees.

“Regression haunts us again, halting our march towards light,

“With underhanded trickery an army was subdued,

“Callousnes has overran mountains, exhausted all hearts,

“Justice has turned murderous, struck fair play in the heart

“The dark hand of the fiend has written 'tyranny” across the skies,

“The wind of regression blows over the land,

“The floodwaters of heartlessness have swept away justice,

“As for those who struggle for righteousness, their fate is sealed.

“A warped justice has cut the voice of fairness,

“Fairness has died of the breath of the judges,

“The courts have toppled the monument of justice,

“What is left in the courts? Where does one find one’s rights?

“Whatever we lay our hands on, we gave to our partisans,

“We topped the partisan’s bread with what we took from the orphan

“When it came to making a fast buck, we couldn’t have enough,

“So devious were our schemes, we even cheated the devil.

“The arrogant state has choked the the breath of the people,

“History will one day write the legend of Gezi,

“He drove the police of the state onto the people,

“And the police gave the people a lesson of democracy.

“The ballot box is but the half of democracy,

“Only with freedom is the system complete,

“The gates of democracy have been slammed to our faces,

“Everyone should have a taste of such a democracy.

“The blood of our fallen has given our flag its color,

“Narrow minds have blown out the thrill of nationhood,

“Our dead, buried unshrouded, did they die for naught?

“Wake up, get up, make a move, the (religious) bigots are everywhere.”

August 30th, 2013

Pendik

Emin Varol

Thank you Mr. Varol.