Lawyer Dilek Ekmekçi, who was arrested last month, has announced the beginning of an indefinite hunger strike. Ekmekçi claims she has been targeted and imprisoned as part of a conspiracy due to her activism.
Ekmekçi’s handwritten letter, shared on social media by her attorney Peren Sanrı, details her struggle and the circumstances surrounding her arrest.
In the letter, Ekmekçi claims that she was imprisoned because of her fight against the sexual exploitation of children in state care. "Listening to my conscience, I risked everything to dedicate myself to dismantling this system," she wrote. However, she emphasized that her efforts were met with legal obstacles and efforts to silence her through fabricated charges.
Ekmekçi noted that she was first detained on Aug 30 over her social media posts, and arrested on Sep 1. Though released on Oct 22, she was detained again on Oct 23 following a prosecutor’s appeal.
“I was imprisoned on the absurd charge of being a member of FETÖ,” she said, referring to the outlawed Gülen movement. Ekmekçi also claimed that during her detention, there were attempts to discredit her by committing her to a psychiatric hospital.
Background
Dr. Dilek Ekmekçi, a criminal law expert, had previously filed a criminal complaint against prominent figures from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and its affiliated Grey Wolves for their alleged involvement in the 2022 murder of Sinan Ateş, a former leader of the group. The complaint accused 25 individuals, including MHP Deputy Chair İzzet Ulvi Yönter, MHP Central Executive Committee members Şahin Gürz and Tamer Çakıroğlu, and MHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Serter Selim, of forming a criminal organization to commit offenses.
Ekmekçi’s arrest followed shortly after she lodged the complaint, raising suspicions about possible retaliation. (VK)
