Statement from PEN Turkey https://www.pen.org.tr/ 27/04/2022
GEZİ IS OUR FREEDONM OF THOUGHT AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSİON
We are addressing not to those without conscience, but to those with conscience. We are addressing not to despots, but to democrats. Not to the lawless but to those who respect law. Not to obeyers of despotism but to citizens.
We are addressing not those who keep acting against the Constitution, but to those who take the definition in our constitution seriously: ‘The Republic of Turkey is a secular democratic social state based on human rights.’
The Gezi Park Protests in 2013 were peaceful and constitutional reactions of environmentalist citizens who demanded democracy and human rights. They were our reactions. Gezi is us. Gezi is hope. Gezi is solidarity. Gezi is freedom of thought and expression. Gezi is the right to choose your life style. Gezi is the possibility of co-habitation of differences. Gezi is our richness. Gezi is well and alive, because our demand for democracy and law is well and alive.
We stand by all our friends convicted in the Gezi Protests. Life long sentence and 18 years of imprisonment, is the result due to the lack of independent justice and lack of division of powers. It is yet another slur on jurisprudence in our country at this stage.
Totally ignoring the numerous vitally serious issues we face in our country, totally disregarding human rights, laws & justice, these sentences are handed down in acts of plain vengeance about a civil resistance movement which took place ten years ago & involved millions of people.
This is what We, as PEN Turkey would like to say on this subject:
We are calling to account all those who ignore our constitution; ignore independent justice; those who misuse their authority by cheating on every level; those who destroy our forests, rivers, lakes, shores, render our cities uninhabitable; those who thrive on tensions brought on by divisive acts, vengeance & strife. Those who incite atmospheres of tension & terror should be made well aware that “TOMORROW” and “HOPE” , “ JUSTİCE” and “DEMOCRACY” are not very far away for our beautiful country.
PEN TURKEY
To learn more about the defendants on Bianet: https://m.bianet.org/english/human-rights/261038-who-are-the-eight-convicts-of-the-gezi-trial#