Diyarbakır Prison Should Become a Museum

The Committee for Research into the Truth of Diyarbakır Prison and Justice launched a signature campaign to turn the prison into a museum for human rights. After the military coup on 12 September 1980 Kurdish prisoners experienced severe torture and inhumane treatment in the Diyarbakır prison.

The campaign is supported by numerous activists, intellectuals, scientists and journalists. The campaign's text goes as follows: "The Diyarbakır prison should be converted into a museum as a symbol of peace and brotherhood. The building should be preserved, the experiences the prisoners had to live through should be exhibited, the victims should be honored, the society should learn about it. In this way it would become a positive and helpful contribution to the collective memory".

Minister of Agriculture and Village Affairs Mehdi Eker said that the prison will be knocked down and a school would be built in its place. The new prison will be moved to Ergan. 

"This prison has left scars too deep to forget"

The Committee declared: "As a very first step we have to face the truth if we want to pursue an opening process, if we sincerely and permanently want to get ahead of democratization and a solution to the Turkish-Kurdish issue. All the other countries have managed to do so. Turning the Diyarbakır prison into a school or any other purpose-based building means 'It's over, let's forget about it'. But this prison has left scars too deep to forget and forgetting means severe disrespect towards the victims and their families".

This is a list of members of the Committee for Research into the Truth of Diyarbakır Prison and Justice:

Gülcan Akçalan (Clinical Psychologist), Eylem Akçay, Esen Aslandoğan (Scientists), Celal Başlangıç (Journalist), Ayşe Berktay (Interpretor), Yunus Bircan, Celalettin Can, Av. Ergin Cinmen, Prof. Ahmet Çakmak, Dr. Erdoğan Çalak (Psychiatrists), Murat Çelikkan (Journalist), Füsun Çeliköz, Av. Fethiye Çetin, Av. Hafize Çobanoğlu, Av. Suna Develioğlu, Dr. Tarık Ziya Ekinci, Av. Aydın Erdoğan, Hasan Erkul, Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, Mehmet Güç (Journalist), Av. Fethi Gümüş, Prof. Gencay Gürsoy, Şebnem İşigüzel (Author), Galma Jahic (Criminologist, scientist), Berrak Karahoda (Clinical Psychologist), Av. Ümit Kardaş, Seda Karslıoğlu, Prof. Erol Katırcıoğlu, Nesligül Kızılırmak (Anthropologist), Prof. Baskın Oran, Yavuz Önen (Architect), Ali Özkan, Yrd. Doç. Murat Paker, Prof. Nihal Saban, Prof. Nesrin Sungur, Dr. Mustafa Sütlaş, Nimet Tanrıkulu, Prof. Turgut Tarhanlı, Temur Taşdemir, Av. Mebuse Tekay, Av. Şehnaz Turan, Yrd. Doç. Nazan Üstündağ, Feyyaz Yaman (Painter), Prof. Tahsin Yeşildere, Diş hek. Celal Korkut Yıldırım, Ragıp Zarakolu, Osman Zorba.

The following people have already signed the campaign:

Abdulhafız Tugan, Abdullah Öztüre, Adalet Dinamit, Adem Aras, Ahmet Dindar, Ahmet Tulgar, Ahmet İnsel, Akın Atalay, Ali Kenanoğlu, Ali Olgun, Ali Bayramoğlu, Atilay Ayçin, Ayşe Berkman, Ayşe Sözer, Burhanettin Müküs, Bülent Somay, Büşra Beste Önder, C. Murat Özgünay, Caner Canerik, Cemil Koçak, Cemile Çakır, Deniz Erdem, Engin Sarı, Erdal Doğan, Erdal Karayazgan, Erdoğan Özmen, Ergün Eşsizoğlu, Ertan İğneli, Esra Çiftçi, Ester Baskan, Fahri Aral, Faik Akçay, Ferda Keskin, Ferhat Kentel, Fikret Başkaya, Firuz Kutal, Gökhan Biçer, Gülten Kaya, Gündüz Mutluay, Günkut Akın, Hacer Ansal, Hakan Tahmaz, Hakan Öztürk, Halil Berktay, Halil İbrahim Özcan, Haluk Sunat, Hayrettin Pişkin, Hülya Gülbahar, İhsan Bilgin, İkbal Kaynar, İnci Hekimoğlu, İsmet Akça, Jale Parla, Jine Azad, Koray Doğan Urbarlı, Levent Yılmaz, Leyla Sanlı, Melek Göregenli, Mesut Saganda, Mesut Onatlı, Metin Yeğin, Mithat Sancar, Muharrem Vural, Murat Belge, Mustafa Elveren, Müjgan Arpat, Müslüm Üzülmez, Nami Temeltaş, Nazan Aksoy, Neşe Erdilek, Nevin Sungur, Nevzat Sayın, Nilgün Toker, Nilgün Uygun, Oğuz Özerden, Olgu Ülkenciler, Olgun Akbulut, Orhan Miroğlu, Orhan Koçak, Ömer Madra, Ömer Aydın, Ömer Laçiner, Özcan Sapan, Özcan Yaman, Raffi A. Hermonn, Rojbin Tugan, Selma Bas, Semra Somersan, Semra Sunat, Serkan Yıldız, Sihmehmet Pakir, Sinan Öztürk, Soli Özel, Şehbal Şenyurt Arınlı, Taner Güven, Tanıl Bora, Tarık Günersel, Utku Şentürk, Verda Özdağlar, Yahya M. Madra, Yalçın Ergündoğan, Yaprak Zihnioğlu, Yüksel Taşkın, Zeynel Şentürk, Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu, Zeynep Tanbay. (BÇ/VK)

* Click here to contribute to the signature campaign.