26.12.2007
The Women in Solidarity with Eren Keskin Network
erenkeskinedestek@gmail.com
With a final court decision dated 22.10.2007, the 9th Penalty Unit of
Supreme Court of Appeals decided to reverse the judgement in the case
Eren Keskin was tried under Turkish Criminal Code’s Clause 301.
This case grounded The Solidarity with Eren Keskin Campaign which is
conducted by Women Solidarity Network. Eren Keskin was retried at
Kartal 3rd District Criminal Court on 26.12.2007. The second trial will
be held on 07.02.2008 at 09:30.
The founder of the Legal Aid Office for the Victims of Sexual
Harassment and Rape in Custody, Eren Keskin delivered a speech in 2002
at a conference in Cologne, Germany under the theme
“Women’s Rights are Human Rights”. In this speech,
she shared incidents of violence originating in action of the state
with the public. As a result of this speech, a case was opened by
Kartal 3rd District Criminal Court against her with the charge of
“insulting the moral character of the military” according
to the Turkish Criminal Code’s Clause 301. In March 2006, at the
conclusion of the trial, Eren Keskin was sentenced to 10 months
imprisonment. The court, however, converted the sentence into a fine of
6000 YTL. Keskin, whose right to free speech has violated, declared
that she refuses to buy her freedom. After this declaration, the
initiation came together under the name of The Women in Solidarity with
Eren Keskin Network conducted a campaign between April andJune2006. The
campaign which is available on the net at www.erenkeskinedestek.org
protests the court’s verdict and invites all the authorized
institutions to take a stance on the side of democracy, freedom of
speech and women’s rights. At the end of the campaign over ten
thousand petition signatures and 7000 YTL which will provide the
sentence fine in case Eren Keskin is put in jail, have been collected.
On March 2007, Eren Keskin held a press conference at Human Rights
Association’s Istanbul Branch and thanked to all women’s
groups who are in solidarity with her and campaign participants and
also she declared that she still refuses to pay this money which is put
on her by the court as in remuneration for her freedom. Eren Keskin
donated the money that is collected through the campaign, to Mor
Çati Women’s Shelter and Istanbul Human’s Rights
Association.
The case against Eren Keskin under Turkish Criminal Code’s Clause
301 has been reversed by the 9th Penalty Unit of Supreme Court of
Appeals’ verdict of 2007/7356 dated 22.10.2007. Trial process
will restart at Kartal 3rd District Criminal Court on 26. 12. 2007.
This decision of Supreme Court of Appeals is of course, a positive
step; however political agenda in our country, unfortunately, prevent
us to raise hope in the name of democracy and freedom. First of all, we
have to emphasize that the logic of punishing the one who depicts the
existence of a crime rather than the persecutor of the crime, still
exists. Therefore, by silencing the aggrieved, the politics of
conditioning injustice continues. Eren Keskin is still being sued;
legal grounds of these cases are texts and speeches of Eren Keskin in
which she shares her project works with public. At present, Atty. Eren
Keskin has three more cases waiting at Supreme Court of Appeals all of
which are opened with the charge of “insulting and deriding
state’s security authorities” under Turkish Criminal
Code’s 159th article, by Criminal Courts of First Instance of
Viransehir, Tunceli and Çerkezköy. For these cases it has
been call for 28 months penalty for imprisonment and 8580 YTL corporeal
cost in total.
And again Eren Keskin is exposed to threats and verbal assaults; her
freedom of speech is violated not only in state institutions but also
at civil life. The most recent incident of death threat mail sealed as
“seen” sent from Ümraniye Prison depicts the
significance of the scene once more.
We, women, see the systematic deterrence and punishment politics
against Eren Keskin who articulates the grievance of women suffered
violence by state authorities, as shameful. We are asking in those days
in which blood market has been reset again and again; the hostility
between identities has been urged and cross-border operations have been
put on to the agenda again:
What happens to 249 women victimized by war crimes and the men who turned out to be rapists by war conditions?
How many more kinds of war crime we will witness?
How many more people will cry; will be the persecutor of hate crimes?
How many more generations will grow up as intolerant to the other?
How many more children will grow up watching fight-blood-war scenes on TV?
How many more poor people will die because of the completely emptied health budget that is paid to war expenses?
How many more student left without a school?
How many more Ugur Kaymaz will be killed?
How many more Festus Okey will be persecuted at the police station?
How many more Nese Yasin will be the target of fascist assaults subjecting her womanhood.
How many more refugees will lose his/her life in order to make his/her
life a much more bearable, that turns out to be an inferno due to war?
How many more transvestites will be the victims of hate crimes?
How many more mother stay awake all night in order to learn what
happened to her child either on military service or at the mountain?
How many more Hrant Dink will be killed?
How many more Rakel Dink will get no response for her common sense calls?
How many more Arat Dink will be forced to leave the country?
How many more Mehmet Tarhan will be abandoned to civil torture through banishment of social and political rights?
How many more people will cry for their children, beloveds, brothers,
sisters, friends, relatives who lost their lives under conflict
conditions?
Unquestioned darkness hurts our hearts.
It’s enough!
Let’s put our hands to our conscience and repeat:
There is no color, nation, sexuality of tear and pain!
Cooperator
World Coalition Against Torturers (WCAT)
Project Management
Bianca Schmolze
Bianca Schmolze
has a Master of Business Administration and works for the Medical Care
Service for Refugees since 2002. After serving as a fundraiser, she
became responsible coordinator of the "Justice heals" campaign in 2004.
Furthermore, she has a mandate in the city council of Bochum.
Tel.: +49-(0)234-9041380
Fax: +49-(0)234-9041381
(Thursday and Friday, 10.00–18.00 Uhr)
Supported by
Manfred
Nowak,
UN Special Rapporteur on Torture