Saturday Mothers, who have been holding a sit-in protest in Galatasaray Square since 1995 to ask about the fate of their relatives who disappeared in custody and to demand the prosecution of the perpetrators, were in the square this week as well.
On the 1120th week, the relatives of the missing addressed the public again from the barricades surrounding Galatasaray Square.
"ON SEPTEMBER 12, TORTURE TURNED INTO A SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE"
In the statement, it was stated that 46 years have passed since the September 12 Military Coup, and the tortures, executions and unsolved murders of the fascist junta administration were emphasized:
"In the dark period that started 46 years ago, not only people's freedoms but also their lives were taken away from them. There were those who were detained from their homes, put in prisons, tortured, executed, killed and never heard from again. Military coups are periods when the state suspended the law and devalued human life and rights. September 12 was such a period when state power was unlimited, torture turned into a systematic practice, and people's right to life and freedom were ignored. Disappearances in custody are the most evident of this understanding. "People were detained by state officials, their fate was denied, and their families were left with years of uncertainty and pain."
"THE ORDER ESTABLISHED BY THE COUP HAS NOT ENDED"
In the statement read by Ümit Efe, the relative of the missing person, it was stated that although the actual coup period ended after September 12, the order established by the coup did not end and has continued to this day with all its institutions:
"Although the actual coup period ended after September 12, the order established by the coup did not end. The concept of denial and impunity continued in different forms during the period of civilian administrations. The legacy of the September 12 regime, with its constitution, laws, institutions and mentality, has been carried on until today. Today, 46 years have passed since September 12. However, the serious crimes committed during the September 12 period were not confronted. Those responsible for the tortures, deaths and disappearances in custody were not held accountable. Thus, the legacy of the September 12 regime, with its constitution, laws, institutions and mentality, has been carried on until today. "Impunity also paved the way for the serious human rights violations that took place in the following years. For this reason, we do not see September 12 as just a military coup in the past. We know that real democratization is not possible without confronting the legacy of denial and impunity of September 12 and reckoning with the disappearances in custody and serious crimes committed by the state."
THE FATE OF KENAN BİLGİN WAS ASKED
The statement also asked about the fate of Kenan Bilgin, who was detained in Ankara Dikmen 32 years ago and taken to the Ankara Police Department Anti-Terrorism Branch and was never heard from again.
The statement continued with the following statements:
"35-year-old Kenan Bilgin was detained from a bus stop in Ankara Dikmen on September 12, 1994 and taken to the Ankara Police Department Anti-Terrorism Branch.
His family, lawyers and the Human Rights Association made attempts to reach Kenan. However, Ankara Police denied that Kenan was taken into custody.
Thereupon, 11 witnesses came forward. Witnesses announced to the public that they saw Kenan Bilgin being detained and tortured in Ankara Police Department.
Bilgin Family applied to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to find Kenan and reveal his fate.
'THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WAS EXILED FROM ANKARA'
Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor Selahattin Kemaloğlu, who attempted to find Kenan, reach those responsible and conduct an effective investigation, was prevented from performing his duty and was exiled from Ankara.
Ankara Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Özden Tönük, who took over the investigation, did not carry out the necessary investigation procedures upon the applications of the family and witnesses. Witness Ö.A. Although M.Y. and M.Y. said that they could identify the police officers who took Kenan Bilgin from the cell, no action was taken in this direction.
'FILE CLOSED'
Instead, a three-page report was prepared, alleging that the witnesses had made false claims intended to humiliate the police and the state, and the file was closed.
Unable to obtain results in domestic legal remedies, the Bilgin Family applied to the European Court of Human Rights.
ECHR judges came to Ankara and conducted research and investigations. He listened to witnesses, prosecutors and police officials. He went to the detention center where Kenan Bilgin was held and examined on-site whether the witness statements were spatially possible.
The court found that Kenan Bilgin was detained by the security forces on 12 September 1994 and was in the custody of the security forces until 3 October 1994. During this process, it determined that no official record was kept regarding Kenan's detention and unanimously convicted Turkey.
(ECHR, 17.07.2001, Application No: 25659/94)
However, despite the ECHR decision, no effective investigation was carried out to reveal the fate of Kenan Bilgin.
Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office decided not to prosecute the file on the grounds of statute of limitations, stating that despite the findings of the ECHR, "No data could be found indicating that Kenan Bilgin was taken to one of the detention facilities affiliated with the Ankara Police."
Objections to the decision were also rejected.
'THE FATE WAS LEFT IN DARKNESS'
Thus, Kenan Bilgin's fate was left in the dark for 32 years. The whereabouts of Kenan, who was determined to be in the hands of the state by the ECHR decision, were not disclosed. The accounts of witnesses who saw him in custody were not effectively investigated. Those responsible were not brought to justice.
Kenan Bilgin's story shows that September 12 was not just a coup night. How the system of denial and impunity established during the coup period could make people disappear years later; It shows that they can deprive their families of truth and justice.
We have not forgotten Kenan Bilgin or those lost in the September 12 torture chambers.
We will not give up asking about their fate, searching for the truth and demanding justice.
No matter how many years pass; For Kenan Bilgin, for Cemil Kırbayır, Mahmut Kaya, Hüseyin Morsümbül, Nurettin Öztürk, Zeki Altunbaş, Hayrettin Eren, Nurettin Yedigöl, Süleyman Cihan, Mustafa Hayrullahoğlu, Maksut Tepeli, Veysel Güney and İlyas Has, who disappeared in custody on September 12, for all our losses, for demanding justice, for the state having to act within the norms of universal law. We will not stop reminding you.
