RIHA - Released journalist Ferhat Çiftçi stated that the Administration and Observation Board in the prison acted as a "parallel court" and asked questions such as: "Do you love your wife or do you love the PKK?" 

 

Seriously ill prisoner Ferhat Çiftçi (51), Dîlok (Antep) Representative of Azadiya Welat Newspaper, which was closed by the Decree Law (KHK), was released on January 4, 2024, after being held for 12 years, 10 months and 19 days. On February 16, 2011, he was sentenced to 19 years and 8 months in prison by the Adana 6th High Criminal Court on charges of "committing a crime on behalf of a terror organization, without being a member of it" and "propagandizing for a terror organization". He was released after the Constitutional Court (AYM) annulled the provision of "committing a crime on behalf of a terror organization without being a member of it" on December 8, 2023. Çiftçi, who was released from Tekirdağ No. 1  Type F Closed Prison after nearly 13 years of captivity, is on the list of seriously ill prisoners of the Human Rights Association (IHD).

 

Çiftçi, who contracted Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneurotherapy (CIDP - which occurs as a result of damage to the myelin sheath around the peripheral nerve fibers as a result of abnormalities in the immune system) in prison, talked to the Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about the ill prisoners held in prison and the pressures on the free press.

 

 DEFENSE STRUGGLE IN THE MOTHER TONGUE

 

Çiftçi stated that the allegations regarding the arrest were completely abstract and unfounded, and noted that it was not possible to talk about a fair trial. Underlining that they were faced with difficulties in defending in their native language, Çiftçi said: “I was captured in 2011. We were not even aware of many things that were presented as crimes. We wanted to make our defense in our native language, but then we faced many difficulties. The struggle to defend our mother tongue was a great motivation for us. This sat the center of this struggle. At that time, there were serious struggles not only in defending the mother tongue, but in every field. We have also experienced the difficulties that all our people have experienced and the injustices they have been subjected to.”

 

'EVERY HOUR IS TORTURE'

 

Çiftçi underlined that the pressure on prisoners in prisons has grown over the past 13 years and drew attention to the difficulties experienced by seriously ill prisoners. Comparing the issues experienced by ill prisoners to a wound that does not heal and always bleeds, Çiftçi said: “My situation was not as severe as other friends. Our friends were melting and losing their lives day by day before our eyes. They deemed such a death necessary for them. They are tortured not in one day, not all at once, but every hour of every day. One cannot help but think. When I saw my friend like that, I forgot that I was ill myself. When someone experiences more difficulties than you, you experience what the one experiences. The situation of Kemal Özçelik, Katip Çiçek, Kasım Karataş was very serious in the prison where I was left. They need to be evacuated the day before. Kasım Karataş's sentence has ended, but he is not released. His punishment is increased by the decision of the Administration and Observation Board. Even though the administration knows that his condition is serious, they are doing such a thing on purpose.”

 

'WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE PRISONERS FOR'

 

Çiftçi, who described the provision of "committing a crime on behalf of an organization without being a member of the terror organization", annulled by the Constitutional Court, as a "freak article", pointed out that the interpretation of the provision was very broad. Çiftçi, who informed that thousands of people were arrested with the same provision, continued his words as follows: “After thousands of people are arrested, only a small amount is taken in this direction. They cannot have just realized that this article is against the Constitution. They did not speak out because it served their purpose. This is a great injustice. This has no place in the world or in universal law. However, for someone who knows why he is in prison and is being held captive, the reason for the sentence is not very important. We knew the real reason why we were detained. The important thing is not with what article we are arrested, but why we are arrested."

 

'PRESSURE CONTINUES FOR 40 YEARS'

 

Referring to the ongoing pressure on the free press since the 1990s, Çiftçi said: “Free press is a point of resistance. There was pressure before me, and the pressure continued after I was arrested. I was not the first to be arrested, nor was I the last. This pressure has continued for 40 years. This policy is continued today. As long as there is no democratic solution to the Kurdish issue, pressure will continue. Not only the Kurdish press and the free press will get their share from this, but all media that call themselves opponents will get their share. Today, no one can freely come out and defend the truth. Some people who are impartial and call themselves democrats sometimes find themselves in prison or are made to step back because they speak the truth.”

 

'THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN FIND A SOLUTION IS MR OCALAN'

 

Reminding the hunger strike that the prisoners in prison have been going on for 58 days demanding the freedom of PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan, Çiftçi said: “There is an epic resistance in prisons today. The morale of the prisoners is very high and they are hopeful. However, they must never be left alone. There is a need for sensitivity on this issue. There is a need for stronger support from outside. Now I'm outside, but I'm looking for the companionship, friendship, philosophy, sincerity and warm atmosphere in the inside.”

Underlining that the isolation imposed on Öcalan must be ended as soon as possible, Çiftçi said: “The only person who can find a solution to the issues and chaos in the Middle East is Mr. Öcalan. In this context, he has waged and continues to wage an unprecedented struggle. Isolation is a great injustice. Absolute isolation is torture against human dignity.”

 

'DEMOCRATIC STRUGGLE MUST BE ENLARGED'

 

"As the isolation deepens, the rights violations that the prisoners are exposed to increase. A court has been established in prisons, second parallel to the Administration and Observation Boards. The questions asked in the boards are not even asked in court. ‘Do you love your wife or do you love the PKK?’ is asked. Today, no one in prison can say, ‘I will be released on this date.’ It creates uncertainty. This is torture. A panel established two years ago is retrying a prisoner who was arrested 30 years ago. This is an arbitrary practice. There is no example of this board in the world. This board was established to re-punish political prisoners. Everyone who defends human rights should speak out against this. This is the issue of everyone who still has human feelings inside. There is a struggle, we must not violate anyone's rights, but it is not enough. It is necessary to expand the existing struggle. The problems in prison cannot be solved without a great democratic struggle. We all need to unite around this struggle. I send my greetings to all my friends who are in prison. I would like to point out that they are not alone.”