Message of freedom from Silivri: They could not steal our passion for the country

CHP Istanbul member of parliament Barış Yarkadaş made prison visits to our newspaper’s detained Executive Board Chair, Akın Atalay, Attorney-at-Law, Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, reporter Ahmet Şık and accounting employee Emre İper along with CHP MP Enis Berberoğlu and Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel. Yarkadaş, making an announcement following his visit to Silivri and Maltepe prisons, said, “Above all our detained MP Enis Berberoğlu, and newspaper workers Akın Atalay, Murat Sabuncu, Ahmet Şık, Emre İper and Deniz Yücel are in good health and spirits. They know why they are paying the price in jail. They are paying the price for democracy, rights, the law and justice.”

Rights abuses on the increase

Yarkadaş, recalling that 10 December was marked throughout the world as Human Rights Day, commented, “You would have to be credulous to speak of human rights in a country in which 178 journalists are held in prison, 11 parliamentarians are held politically captive and hundreds of academics are on trial. Turkey enters 10 December with a democratic defect. Those in power, having surrounded the Human Rights Monument in Ankara’s Yüksel Street with barricades and all but detaining it, have not left even a residue of human rights.” Yarkadaş, pointing out that many complaints over human rights abuses had reached him from prison, called out to the AKP: “Humans are human along with their rights. End practices that are contrary to human honour.”

Passion for the country

Yarkadaş, recounting that our paper’s Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu had told him in the course of the visit, “They stole our freedom but they could not steal our passion for the country,” said, “Our friends’ hearts are beating for the country all 24 hours despite the acts of lawlessness.” Yarkadaş, noting that 10 December saw Die Welt reporter Deniz Yücel embarking on his tenth month in detention, commented, “Despite this, there is no indictment against him. Deniz Yücel still does not know what he stands charged with.” He also reported that Yücel had said in the course of the visit, “I now finally want to see my indictment.”