“Sad But Not Surprising”

Progressive Lawyer Association (ÇHD) Antalya Branch Chairman Münip Ermiş confirmed the allegations that Ayşe Deniz Karacagil, a Gezi Resistance protestor charged with 98 years of prison, joined PKK. “I am sad but not surprised that another young person took the mountains due to narrowing of democratic space,” he said. 

Hürriyet newspaper interviewed Nuray Erçağan, Ayşe Deniz Karacagil’s mother, who also confirmed the allegations. 

"Turkey lost my child. People want to create their own justice in a country with no more justice left. Even though I will fear about my daughter’s life and all the challenges she will face [as a PKK member], I would also fear about her in a country where youngsters like Ali İsmail Korkmaz are killed by the hands of the state just because they used their right to protest. Whatever decision she took, I am still behind my daughter,” she said. 

bianet interviewed Progressive Lawyer Association Antalya Branch Chairman Ermiş on Karacagil’s arrest and judicial struggle story. 

“Thousands took the streets in Antalya on the first four days of Gezi Resistance. in order to show that it was an organized by a gang, they [authorities] showed as if it was committed by 5 people. They attributed all that happened to the police officers outside Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters to 5 people. They were blamed for all the property damage in Antalya. However, policemen didn’t know any of them when they stood trial. 

“In Ayşe Deniz Karacagil’s case, wearing a red scarf became an element of ‘special crime’. Our request for the return of that carf was rejected on the last hearing.”

The 5 defendants were initially arrested on September 4, 2013. They were later on released by Antalya 5^th High Criminal Court on the first hearing dated on February 7. 

The next hearing was set to October. 

Taking the mountains

Ermiş said the following on Ayşe Deniz Karacagil’s adherence to PKK:

“Ayşe Deniz’s taking the mountain [an informal expression for joining PKK] didn’t surprise me. It doesn’t make me happy that they do so, but it is not surprising either as they do it due to the narrowing of democratic space. 

“Nobody can say that she was fooled into this. This is her own political choice. If only nobody faced violence during Gezi, so nobody would be forced to do so. 

“Ayşe Deniz’s case set an example at least. This lesson must be learnt by the government foremost.” (BK/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.