Keskin: The Campaign Is Manipulated
During the conference and a subsequent exclusive interview with Bianet, Keskin said she did not believe the text of the advert was from the women organisations themselves adding that the attack against her person appeared to stem from a single source. She also recalled that after similar kinds of public criticism, former chairman of the IHD Akin Birdal was shot in an assassination attempt.
IHD chairman Yusuf Alatas, IHD Istanbul Branch chair Hurriyet Sener and Derya Demirtas and Feray Salman of the Network of Solidarity with Eren Keskin accompanied Keskin at her conference.
Keskin: I invite them to act with responsibility
"It is an extremely painful situation for a woman or women organisations to issue an advertisement inviting violence" Keskin said.
"It is sad for a women to do this to a woman. Those who identify themselves as feminists should first stand up against militarism. If they are not doing this, they should then ask themselves how much of women rights defenders they are".
Keskin invited those who issued the adverts against her to act with responsibility and asked "after this advertisement, if some people come up and take their own initiative, are they then going to feel responsible to this?"
Interview with Keskin
Following her press conference, Keskin was interviewed by Bianet asked and replied to various questions pertaining to the situation.
You are a woman, so are they. Why are they attacking you?
"I do not believe this attack directed at me is has been writer by the women organisations. I believe it stems from the same place. I have been receiving threats for years. I am one of the persons who the Chief of General Staff has filed a [criminal] complaint against. I believe this text is not very independent.
"Because in relation to this incident, to the speech, while Necla Arat filed a criminal complaint they did it together with the Chief of General Staff. Arat testified against me at court".
What does being a persona non grata mean?
"For instance, I would immediately rush to an injustice inflicted on a Kemalist woman. I would not think she is a Kemalist. If I did, I would not be a women's rights advocate. They, on the other hand, do not approach it in this way. In my view what determines them primarily is their Kemalist identity. Their other identities come after that. This is where the problem is. To me this is really painful. They have declared me a persona non grata, they are condemning me 'violently'. As it is, declaring someone as persona non grata means getting rid of them.
"Because, in the year 98, such articles, advertisements came out against Akin Birdal and a short while later Akin Birdal was shot. Because of this I invite them to rethink this. Will they be able to get out from under such a responsibility? There are people in this society who could read this advertisement and act in rage".
Are you being protected?
"No I am not protected."
Have you applied for protection?
"No. But in the year 1999, at the time [outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party leader] Abdullah Ocalan was brought [to Turkey], I was one of his lawyers. At that time Osman Baydemir and I were receiving a lot of threats. The state proposed to give us protection. At that time we rejected this. They have to protect us anyway. This is their duty. I did not see it necessary to constantly go around with policemen. "
One of the accusations against you is that you are with the PKK. Are you a member of the PKK?
"Of course I am not. I am an advocate of human rights. Other than this, in every speech I made I have voiced that violence is not a solution to the Kurdish problem, that the time of armed struggle in the world had passed by, that violence strengthened militarism. I have never been a member of any organisation but I am a lawyer of PKK cases. I have acted as attorney to them and to various Kurdish and socialist circles. I have also acted as attorney to Abdullah Ocalan. These are separate things.
"This is my profession. I am a lawyer who attends political trials. I also defend a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem and even the right of the Kurdish people to determine their own fate. I voice this everywhere. In any case it is the easiest thing to declare you as a PKK member when you say anything against the red points of militarism. A very easy method."
You said that women should review their policies on issues such as the Cyprus question and other issues. Do you think it is easy for women to conduct politics?
"Women live through all forms of oppression with double the impact. Their fronts are closed. They cannot go out on the street. Not every woman is like us. If she does not have economic freedom, how will she conduct politics? I believe that an antimilitarist policy is necessary and that this can only be achieved by antimilitarist feminists and homosexuals. Because in my view these are sections that are totally void of any prejudice. I do not even believe socialists are void of prejudice."
Does prejudice increase pressure?
"Prejudice and those prejudiced against are being distanced. I think those who face prejudice are the ones who most understand what militarism is pressing upon them. In my view militarism is not on the agenda of many organisations in Turkey who see their place in the opposition front."
Currently there are debates on new human rights, women rights, children rights. What do you think about these?
"Of course international law has made some gains. We cannot deny this. But I believe that the international law system is extremely dominated by men and is militarist.
"If one needs to cite an example, thousands of women following World War I and World War II were raped as it happens during all wars. But the Tokyo and Nurenburg trials did not accept that rape was a war crime. Whereas after the clashes Bosnia and Ruanda, as result of the struggle of the women there, it was regarded as a war crime.
"Still the Convention on Immigrant Rights does not accept violence against women as a single reason for asylum.
"Or conscientious objection. It is still not given as a duty for state by international law. It is only in the Copenhagen criteria and with an open end. In other words, these show that international law is dominated by men and is militarist throughout the world. These examples show this openly.
What lies behind the attack on you by woman organisations that identify themselves as feminist?
"First of all, in feminism, feminists must definitely be antimilitarist... Feminists also stand up against racism, chauvinism, capitalism, the effects of these on women and to all other forms of influences and pressures. This is what I see as feminism.
"But unfortunately in Turkey the official ideology is always that of a Turkish style feminism. A Turkish style environmentalism. A Turkish style socialism. In other words it always gets caught somewhere at one point. Not just for women. Because of this I believe those who identify themselves as feminist and those who say the are advocates of women rights should oppose all of those red points that are created by militarism. For instance the Cyprus issue, the Armenian genocide, the Kurdish issue. In other words, I believe they need to re-evaluate themselves on all issues. (AD/II/YE)