Author Erdoðan: Kurdish question is the main issue
Author Erdoðan: Kurdish question is the main issue
Author Aslý Erdoðan says that the Kurdish problem is Turkey’s biggest problem and adds; “If there is a war in the south and if people are still being killed and tortured, what happened in Ýstanbul is a simple demonstration, consequently.”
Author Aslý Erdoðan, whose books are translated into nearly 10 languages, points out that perhaps a new ‘underground state’ has been formed in Turkey, saying; “Turkey is on course to be a modern country surrounded by modern pressure types”.
Concerning violence against women, Erdoðan says the followings; “Family violence was not invented by Turkish people and it is not under their monopoly, either. But if you are raped in France, you will be directed to a psychoanalyst to get over this trauma. And if you are raped in Turkey, you will keep it secret. In other words, you will be punished by your surrounding and your family and you will be shot to death in the southeast of Turkey”.
PERHAPS A NEW ‘UNDERGROUND STATE’ IS BEING FORMED
Considering that the West is following up AKP (Justice and Development Party) policies, leastwise with admiration, Erdoðan expresses her suspects in this respect and adds that AKP has also changed many things. Erdoðan remarks that a number of laws that are more adaptable to EU have been enacted on paper and points to the operations against Ergenekon members, who were “the strongest” erstwhile. Mentioning that this is something good, Erdoðan says; “But, who can say that a new underground state is not being formed today? Who knows, perhaps only the government passes into other hands. It is too early to evaluate this process” and records that a realistic decision can be given in ten years to see what happened in fact.
IF THERE EXISTS A WAR, WHAT HAPPENED IN ISTANBUL IS A DEMONSTRATION
Erdoðan reminds the process of “initiative” which was started by AKP for Kurdish people, with the words “Two steps forward, one step back”. Erdoðan expresses that the government is “too contradictory” by meeting authors and artist on one side and arresting 1700 BDP members on the other side.
Remarking that the Kurdish problem is Turkey’s biggest problem today, Erdoðan says the followings; “I visited southeast many times and wrote for a Kurdish paper and I still have contacts with many Kurdish people. It cannot be claimed that they are the most suffering group in Turkey. They were exposed to terrifying things in 1990’s. Hundred of thousands Kurdish people were displaced; many of them were tortured and murdered. And a country, which commits so many crimes against human rights, cannot see itself as a democracy without solving this problem. If there is a war in the south and if people are still being killed and tortured, what happened in Ýstanbul is a simple demonstration, as a result”.
WRITING GÜMÜÞTAÞ’S PORTRAIT
Aslý Erdoðan points to prison problems and emphasizes that isolation and torture are still continuing today. Erdoðan says the followings; “It must be seen well what is mentioned here. If you are alone in these prisons and in these small cells, and if nobody can hear anything about you, you slowly get alienated from life and reality. You are forgotten and you don’t have any guarantee that a soldier won’t come to your cell and kill you tomorrow. This is isolation. Recently, I have been writing the portrait of a Kurdish young boy aged 21. He was delivering a Kurdish paper before he was arrested and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. In conclusion, he burnt his fingers because he could not tolerate the imprisonment conditions among ordinary prisoners.
Erkan Gümüþtaþ (21), who burnt himself on 22 July 2010 in Þanlýurfa E Type Prison as he was taken from the ward of political prisoners to the ward of ordinary prisoners, lost his life on 24 July. Battery marks were realized on Gümüþtaþ’s body.
A SLENDERIZED PRESSURE AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Author Erdoðan likens the subject of freedom of expression to the matter “is half of the glass full or empty?” and says; “Turkey was holding the world record with the number of arrested journalists in the 2000’s, when I was working for the committee of solidarity with prisoners. Nowadays, the pressure has been slenderized; it doesn’t systematically bring you to justice, instead of this, it imposes unbelievable fines. In one respect, Turkey is on course to be a modern country surrounded by modern pressure types. Beating and imprisoning a journalist is to create a hero from him. I have experienced different kind of pressures like being threatened through phone or in front of my house and being dismissed two times from the paper I was working for”.
Translation: Berna Ozgencil
Author Aslý Erdoðan, whose books are translated into nearly 10 languages, points out that perhaps a new ‘underground state’ has been formed in Turkey, saying; “Turkey is on course to be a modern country surrounded by modern pressure types”.
Concerning violence against women, Erdoðan says the followings; “Family violence was not invented by Turkish people and it is not under their monopoly, either. But if you are raped in France, you will be directed to a psychoanalyst to get over this trauma. And if you are raped in Turkey, you will keep it secret. In other words, you will be punished by your surrounding and your family and you will be shot to death in the southeast of Turkey”.
PERHAPS A NEW ‘UNDERGROUND STATE’ IS BEING FORMED
Considering that the West is following up AKP (Justice and Development Party) policies, leastwise with admiration, Erdoðan expresses her suspects in this respect and adds that AKP has also changed many things. Erdoðan remarks that a number of laws that are more adaptable to EU have been enacted on paper and points to the operations against Ergenekon members, who were “the strongest” erstwhile. Mentioning that this is something good, Erdoðan says; “But, who can say that a new underground state is not being formed today? Who knows, perhaps only the government passes into other hands. It is too early to evaluate this process” and records that a realistic decision can be given in ten years to see what happened in fact.
IF THERE EXISTS A WAR, WHAT HAPPENED IN ISTANBUL IS A DEMONSTRATION
Erdoðan reminds the process of “initiative” which was started by AKP for Kurdish people, with the words “Two steps forward, one step back”. Erdoðan expresses that the government is “too contradictory” by meeting authors and artist on one side and arresting 1700 BDP members on the other side.
Remarking that the Kurdish problem is Turkey’s biggest problem today, Erdoðan says the followings; “I visited southeast many times and wrote for a Kurdish paper and I still have contacts with many Kurdish people. It cannot be claimed that they are the most suffering group in Turkey. They were exposed to terrifying things in 1990’s. Hundred of thousands Kurdish people were displaced; many of them were tortured and murdered. And a country, which commits so many crimes against human rights, cannot see itself as a democracy without solving this problem. If there is a war in the south and if people are still being killed and tortured, what happened in Ýstanbul is a simple demonstration, as a result”.
WRITING GÜMÜÞTAÞ’S PORTRAIT
Aslý Erdoðan points to prison problems and emphasizes that isolation and torture are still continuing today. Erdoðan says the followings; “It must be seen well what is mentioned here. If you are alone in these prisons and in these small cells, and if nobody can hear anything about you, you slowly get alienated from life and reality. You are forgotten and you don’t have any guarantee that a soldier won’t come to your cell and kill you tomorrow. This is isolation. Recently, I have been writing the portrait of a Kurdish young boy aged 21. He was delivering a Kurdish paper before he was arrested and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. In conclusion, he burnt his fingers because he could not tolerate the imprisonment conditions among ordinary prisoners.
Erkan Gümüþtaþ (21), who burnt himself on 22 July 2010 in Þanlýurfa E Type Prison as he was taken from the ward of political prisoners to the ward of ordinary prisoners, lost his life on 24 July. Battery marks were realized on Gümüþtaþ’s body.
A SLENDERIZED PRESSURE AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Author Erdoðan likens the subject of freedom of expression to the matter “is half of the glass full or empty?” and says; “Turkey was holding the world record with the number of arrested journalists in the 2000’s, when I was working for the committee of solidarity with prisoners. Nowadays, the pressure has been slenderized; it doesn’t systematically bring you to justice, instead of this, it imposes unbelievable fines. In one respect, Turkey is on course to be a modern country surrounded by modern pressure types. Beating and imprisoning a journalist is to create a hero from him. I have experienced different kind of pressures like being threatened through phone or in front of my house and being dismissed two times from the paper I was working for”.
Translation: Berna Ozgencil
