“Remembering means objection, forgetting means denial”

The Saturday Mothers’ Initiative in Istanbul has protested for the 875th time against “enforced disappearances” in state custody and demanded punishment for the perpetrators. The vigil, which takes place every Saturday, was held again this week in an online format.

Ikbal Eren Yarici, a member of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Commission dealing with arrests, pointed out that another year of repression and rights violations has passed: “We start the new year in a severely repressive climate where constitutional freedoms and the rule of law are exposed. The presidential system has introduced a regime of lawlessness. This regime refuses to recognise democratic standards and freedoms, including the right to the integrity of life. Justice and peace have been pushed into the distant future. The key against this regime, which has been used to increase silence, lies in our voices.”

Yarici said that everyone must raise their voices so that Turkey becomes a constitutional state: “Our demands are for a Turkey in which the arbitrariness of the government is stopped, the state is committed to the legal system, the judiciary works independently, and legal regulations apply to everyone.”

Society has the right to know who the perpetrators of the massacres taking place are, the human rights activist said and continued, “As long as justice and freedom are not enforced, even a change of government makes no sense. Every unpunished crime promotes the cycle of violence. This creates a social and political climate in which acts of violence are repeated. Impunity affects not only the past, but at the same time our future. We will continue to ensure that the past is not forgotten and that society’s memory remains alive with regard to this systematic policy. Those who forget the truth come to terms with it. Remembering means objection, forgetting means denial. We wish that the first day of the new year may be the beginning of a time when all can live freely with their rights.”