Union leader Mehmet Türkmen acquitted after 58 days in detention
Mehmet Türkmen, head of the United Textile, Weaving and Leather Workers' Union (BİRTEK-SEN), was acquitted today in a court case following 58 days in prison. Türkmen was initially detained during protests in the southeastern province of Antep, where he supported workers' strike at a carpet factory due to unpaid wages.
Before the hearing, BİRTEK-SEN members, workers, and relatives of Türkmen gathered for a protest outside the Gaziantep Courthouse. The demonstration drew support from labor representatives and politicians from various provinces as well as European countries.
Mehmet Türkmen: A union leader behind bars after years of struggle
Speaking at the protest, BİRTEK-SEN General Secretary Mikail Kılıçalp argued that the case against Türkmen was political rather than legal, according to reporting from Evrensel:
"Mehmet Türkmen's crime is standing side by side with workers who cannot get their salaries and demanding accountability for industrial homicides. Mehmet was arrested because he said, 'The laws do not apply to the wealthy.' We are asking: How many bosses who seized worker severances, fired people, or usurped labor have entered through these doors? It is not our words that are misleading, but this unjust system itself."
Kılıçalp also noted that Sırma Halı company is owned by Hanifi Şireci, a figure close to the government:
"This network, in which capital owners and the political government are partners, arrests unionists, journalists, and politicians at the push of a button. They cover up industrial homicides. They want to silence Mehmet Türkmen so the gears of this system, which takes the lives of 2,000 workers every year, remain undamaged. But this struggle will grow stronger every day."
Türkmen's mother, Ayşe Türkmen called for her son's release.
"Is my son inside because he defended the rights of the workers and the poor? I came to get my son; if they do not release him, I will go as far as Ankara."
Mustafa Alkurt, a textile worker who lost his hand in a workplace incident at 10 years ago, also shared his support.
"I stayed in the hospital for 67 days and underwent 14 operations. During that time, no one called, visited, or supported me. Only Mehmet Türkmen came to my side, got me on the news, and sent me to the Parliament. Mehmet became the voice of workers like us," Alkurt said. He also addressed Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, saying, "See our demand for justice and give us our rights."
The hearing
Following the statements, the crowd entered the courthouse. However, the 30-person capacity of the courtroom prevented many from following the proceedings, leaving some lawyers outside. Türkmen was greeted with applause as he entered the courtroom.
In his defense, Türkmen described the legal confusion surrounding his case. He noted he was first detained for 'inciting the public to hatred and hostility,' but the charge was abruptly changed to 'publicly spreading misleading information' at the police station. Türkmen argued this uncertainty was a method of silencing him.
While authorities stated the investigation was launched ex officio, Türkmen claimed it was initiated at the request of the factory owner. "I know as well as my name that this investigation was opened upon the complaint of the Şireci boss. I have been detained 30 times in the last six years, and every time it was because of a phone call from a boss," he said.
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Türkmen also addressed an incident involving a worker whose arm was severed at Şireci Tekstil. He claimed the employer bought the worker a house to ensure the complaint was withdrawn, calling it a way to evade justice rather than an act of philanthropy.
"Ahmet Şireci is famous for seizing the severances of workers. He did not buy that house out of kindness, but to have the investigation closed," Türkmen said. "In a file where the boss was acquitted because the worker did not complain, and where evidence was obscured and bloodstains cleaned, I became the guilty one for demanding accountability for that severed arm."
Citing reports from the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG) Assembly, Türkmen noted that at least 555 workers have died in Gaziantep in the last 13 years. "All 555 names are there. Not a single boss served time in prison; not a single boss was detained. Although the textile sector is one of the least risky, why is someone's hand or arm severed every day? Because the bosses' greed for profit is more valuable than the worker's life."
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Concluding his defense, Türkmen called for an end to the injustice. "For two months, I have been away from my union duties and my family. You are sending a message to the bosses: 'Exploit as much as you want, we will imprison whoever speaks out.' This must end; the trust in justice, which is already struggling, should not be shaken further."
Following the defense, the prosecution requested a prison sentence for "publicly spreading misleading information." However, the court ruled for Türkmen's acquittal. (HA/VK)
