When journalist Hrant
Dink, who devoted himself to a tough cause like peace advocacy, fell
victim to an assassination that was planned by the dark forces within
the state, thousands of people marched from Taksim to Agos' building,
shouting “murderer state”. Nationalists and the ones who worship
the state and flag were outraged by this slogan.
According to those people, state is something abstract and sacred and cannot be accused of murder. However, states don't commit only murder but also countless crimes like drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and so on with many tools they have. Loyal provocateurs and spies and laws, mechanisms of immunity and impunity, prosecutors and judges who ignore all the common principals of international law are the most important tools of the state for carrying out their illegal conducts.
Now in Turkey, unlawfulness stemming from the state of emergency is added to this criminal structure. With the declaration of the state of emergency, laws protecting human rights are suspended. Even the most groundless allegations might cause 30 days in detention.
On July 15, Turkey was exposed to a violent storm. The cloudburst following that storm caused a flood and all the stones along the cliff came loose. Big rocks moved the little ones and the hail of stones still continue. We will see who's hit by the head during this storm only after all those rolling stones are settled.
When I am writing this, a young Kurdish politician is missing for 77 days now; he got lost in detention. On May 27, special operation forces of the police, via their Twitter account, wrote that he is detained. Nobody has heard from Hurşit Külter since that day.
Probably, the ones who have been asking “Where is Hurşit Külter?” are also thinking about almost 15,000 people who are murdered by unknown assailants after they were detained during 90's. Their relatives and acquaintances have been gathering in Taksim every Saturday for years, asking what happened to their children, spouses, mothers and fathers; they demand justice.
Every Turkish citizen knows very well how difficult living in a country like Turkey is. Some of them avoid meddling in anything in order to be less affected by those difficulties and live in a secure pile of dirt. Some of them think that every man for himself. And some of them devote their limited time that we call life to justice; their lives end by fighting for humanity, working themselves up, paying grave prices and resisting against the sovereigns.
Many people think that this is a Sisyphean task which would eventually cause frustration.
They may be right, who knows. However, is there anyone who can deny the unbearable appeal of struggle, especially the struggle for justice and fighting for human dignity?
