Dilek Dündar: I am Held Hostage Against My Husband

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The wife of journalist Can Dündar, Dilek Türker Dündar has shot a video and stated that she cannot leave Turkey for another country because her passport was confiscated two and a half years ago due to the lawsuits filed against her husband journalist Can Dündar, who is currently abroad.

Referring to the statement of Deputy Chair of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Leyla Şahin Usta, who said, "Claiming that there is violation of human rights in Turkey is a fool's errand," Dilek Türker Dündar has exemplified the rights violations in Turkey through her own situation.

Starting the video by introducing herself, Dündar has said,

"You know me as the wife of Can Dündar, but I have other identities beyond it. I am an economist who graduated from the Middle East Technical University (METU). I am documentary producer. I am a republican woman. I am a citizen of this country, I am a mother. I have rights as a citizen, responsibilities as a mother and obligations as a republican woman."

"Here is an open violation of human rights for you"

Referring to the statements of AKP Vice Chair Şahin Uslu, Dündar has continued, "When the vice chairperson of the ruling party stated in a press conference that there is no violation of human rights in Turkey, she said that the ones asserting the contrary cannot give a single concrete example."

Referring to her own situation by stating, "Then, here is an open violation of human rights for you", Dündar has stated the following:

"Why would my departure from Turkey be a threat?"

"While I was going abroad in 2016, my passport was seized at the airport. There were no charges, investigations or prosecution against me.

"As a justification for limiting my freedom of travel, the police referred to an article of a law which states that my travel abroad is objectionable for the security of the country. Why would my departure from Turkey threaten the security of the country?

"For the last two and a half years, I have been prevented from going abroad and meeting my son and husband with a downright unlawful, arbitrary and political decision. I am literally being held hostage against my husband.

"Is this evidence concrete enough?"

"I could not attend the graduation ceremony of my son, which I have dreamed of all through my life, I cannot be on his side as his mother on his sad or happy days, I have been subjected to this unlawfulness for two and a half years without facing any criminal charges and I cannot get any results in any court... Is this evidence concrete enough?"

In the video, Dilek Dündar has also mentioned that when she wanted to sell their summer house to pay off their credit debt of the house that they bought in İstanbul, they could not do it and their house in İstanbul has been seized in exchange for their debt. Dündar has said, "I cannot leave my country, but I have to leave my house, where I am forced to live alone."

"Put an end to this unlawfulness"

Concluding her speech, Dündar has stated,

"As in the case of me and thousands of other husbands and wives who are punished due to their family ties without any justification, we witness that the principle of individual criminal responsibility, which is a concept as old as the law itself, is being openly violated.

"Our other rights and freedoms granted to us by the Constitution, namely our freedom of travel, our right to equality before the law, our freedom of communication, our right of property, our freedom of claiming our rights and, of course, the integrity of our family have been violated."

As her last word, Dündar has said, "I don't know what more concrete evidence I can give" and made a call to "put an end to this unlawfulness." (HA/SD)