Saturday Mothers/People being tried: 'Let the perpetrators be tried'

The first hearing of the trial opened against 20 individuals who were detained during the 950th week gathering of the Saturday Mothers/People, despite the Constitutional Court's "violation of rights" decision, is being held at the İstanbul 39th Criminal Court of First Instance in Çağlayan.

In the trial, the Saturday Mothers/People are being prosecuted for "violation of the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations."

The trial began with the identification of the defendants.

Firstly, İkbal Eren Yarıcı, a Saturday Mother/Person, made her defense statement. She said:

"I am the sister of Hayrettin Eren, who was detained and disappeared in 1980. This testimony would be incomplete if I did not tell what happened to Hayrettin Eren. Hayrettin Eren was detained while he was driving his car at Haşim İşcan Pass. When we heard about this, my mother and father went to the Karagümrük Police Station. Afterwards, my mother and father went to the Gayrettepe Police Headquarters."

"It was said that he was not there. Then my mother and father went to the Karagümrük Police Station again. They were told that 'your son has not been detained.' But his car was in the courtyard of the police station. After that, my mother and father applied to the Ministry of Interior. Then an official said, 'If I open this case, they will do something to your child and I will lose my position.' What would you do if these things were done to your child? My brother and four others were disappeared."

"The officials who served at that time are responsible. If Hayrettin Eren had committed a crime, he would have been tried and would be here now. The disappearance of those detained is a crime against humanity. We are asked to ignore this. As Saturday Mothers, as relatives of the disappeared, we chose to be together and fight together."

Drawing: Nâzım Hikmet Richard Dikbaş

"Since 1995, we have been asking about the fate of our loved ones and demanding the punishment of the perpetrators. Our demands are very clear. In 2011, during his term as Prime Minister, he accepted the Saturday Mothers at the Prime Ministry office. He said, 'Your problem is my problem.' He promised that their demands would be met. However, later Süleyman Soylu targeted us and the disappeared, saying 'Those who were disappeared were not disappeared while throwing handkerchiefs in Eminönü.'"

"He acknowledged the disappearances of those detained. In our Saturday Mothers protest, the 700th week sit-in was also banned by Interior Minister Soylu's order through Beyoğlu District Governorship. There was a very harsh police intervention, and the protest was prevented. 46 persons were detained. Since that week, Galatasaray Square has been closed every Saturday. Did the Beyoğlu District Governorship disrupt public security by allowing Saturday Mothers to exercise their democratic rights? Did it commit a crime? Why was it banned after the 700th week? That square is a memory center for us. It is not possible for us to give up that square."

"The Constitutional Court ruled a violation of rights regarding our case. Afterwards, we went back to Galatasaray Square. However, we were surrounded by police. We were detained without any warning to disperse. We were beaten and kept in a suffocating environment while being detained. For 29 weeks, we were detained wherever we were seen near Galatasaray Square every Saturday. Even though we showed the AYM decision and said we did not commit any crimes, we were detained. A corridor was not opened for us to disperse, and we were immediately detained."

"As a relative of a disappeared person, not being there on that Saturday felt like witnessing the treatment our friends received. What are these people doing? Then we started walking on İstiklal Avenue. When the press started taking photos in front of us, the police detained us. They put us in a vehicle and took us to where our other friends were."

"After being released from detention that week, there was a match of the Galatasaray football team, it was crowded everywhere, slogans were being shouted. The police did not intervene with anyone. That day, the protest was banned. What was forbidden for us was allowed for the supporters. Is this justice? Minister Ali Yerlikaya reopened Galatasaray Square for us with a limit of 10 people. If we are not committing a crime today, we were not committing a crime that day either. When the then Prime Minister formed a sub-commission and hosted us, was he hosting terrorist mothers?"

"Our loved ones were taken from us and we were subjected to pain. The fact that prosecutors did not investigate the truth about our loved ones multiplied this pain. Now we are being tried for asking about their fate. Shouldn't those who lost my brother Hayrettin Eren be tried? Shouldn't those who lost them be tried? Shouldn't they be tried here instead of us? We will continue to come out in Galatasaray as long as we live."

The Saturday Mothers/People requested that the trial be held in the large courtroom. The court accepted the request. 

'We did not commit any crime, we exercised our democratic right'

After the break, Saturday Person Ali Ocak made his defense statement.

Ocak said, "Since 1995, we have been trying to voice the truths. Those who have caused us to be here are also those who are against voicing the truth in this country. I am the brother of Hasan Ocak, who disappeared in custody in 1995. Since that day, I have been seeking justice for the revelation of the truth and the accountability of those responsible. One of the ways to achieve this is by making statements every Saturday as Saturday Mothers gathering in Galatasaray Square."

"During our 700th week protest, the police attacked us. We were obstructed. Our right to assembly was hindered. The Constitutional Court ruled that this was a violation of rights. The Constitutional Court also sent this decision to the authorities. We also made efforts to exercise our democratic right guaranteed by the Constitutional Court. Every attempt we made was obstructed. We were detained. This practice lasted for 29 weeks. Every week, attempts were made to open a case against us, but the investigations were dropped, there was no crime. We did not commit any crime."

"Regarding the allegations mentioned in this indictment, they do not correspond to the facts. First, we did not engage in an unlawful march; on the contrary, we exercised our democratic right. Secondly, we were handcuffed by force. Thirdly, we were prevented from dispersing by security forces. It is possible to reach these facts from the camera recordings of that day. I do not accept these allegations, I request my acquittal."

The following institutions and individuals are attending the trial:

International Federation for Human Rights and Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Ulviyya Hasanova; World Organization Against Torture and Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Gülşah Kurt; World Organization Against Torture and Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Benedetta Perego; Turin Bar Association (Italy) and International Observatory for Endangered Lawyers, Olivier Maricourt; Lille Bar Association (France) and International Observatory for Endangered Lawyers. (EMK/PE)