RE: Another nonviolent protest in Turkey

["Brownson, Jamil" <JBrownson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

returning after 3 years in turkey i can see how twisted the news can seem
when filtered through an american perspective. The strugle over  F type
prisons, is one that pits violent far right, far left, and extreme religions
factions, as well as mafia type gangs, against the state and mainstream.

The individual cells (F type) conforms to European Union regulations against
a backdrop of individual versus group rights. The old dormitory type prisons
go back to Ottoman era, in which each dorm is ruled totally by a particular
faction and each prisoner is thrown into a dorm with his or her own faction,
or if through in with another faction, intimidated and converted, or raped
and even killed by the dorm bosses and thugs of the "other faction".
Moreover these pits are full of brainwashing type of indoctrination that
produces the suicide bombers that attack and disrupt all sectors of Turkish
life and society. An average of one policeman is assassinated daily, and one
journalist monthly, largely by the fanatic factions and their prison
recruited & trained cadre.

The so-called support organizations are not real human rights groups, but
actually against rights -human or otherwise- for everybody. They are groups
of relatives and cadre tightly controlled by the bosses of these factions,
whether political or criminal, and in many cases combining both criminal &
political activities into one group. The most widespread way these groups
raise money is through extortion and kidnapping for ransom. When ordered to
fast to the death by the bosses of these politico-criminal gangs, even girls
& old women do so because of a combination of ideological brianwashing,
loyalty to family & group, and threat.

Prison based gangs refused to move into the new facilities, which were
clean, healthy, and much more comfortable than the old, because they would
lose their power over their turfs in the old dormitory system. When the
forces of public order stormed these prisons they were met by gunfire,
homemade bazookas & suicide attacks with an amazing range of weaponry.
Faction-dormitory bossses co-ordinated the violence thorugh cellphones &
temporary truces between hostile factions in order to protect their absolute
control over their national network of prison territories and cadres.

In short, this is about individual rights versus the threat of criminal
gangs that force every individual prisoner into joining some faction or
gang, and being fodder for both extremism and abuse.

As always, it is both necessary to read behind and between the lines & to
have inside information to really make sense of what is going on in such
situations.

-----Original Message-----
From: Sabri Oncu [mailto:soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:43 PM
To: pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [PEN-L:19387] Another nonviolent protest in Turkey


Turkish Daily News, November 6, 2001

Chanting, 'I am starving to death,' mother of three claims to
set fire to herself in front of Prime Ministry

Another protest at Prime Ministry

--------------------------------------------------------------

A woman on Monday tried to set fire to herself in front of
the Prime Ministry in Ankara's Vekaletler Street in order to
protest the economic crisis and government.

Suzan Ayiavlar arrived in Vekaletler Street which was closed to
traffic, with her three children and husband.

"We are starving to death," the couple chanted in front of the
Prime Ministry.

Police detained the family. According to information received from
police, the investigation on the event is continuing.

Turkey has been suffering from its biggest economic crisis for
about a year.

The Prime Ministry has been the scene of a number of similar protests
since the beginning of the crisis.

In August Kazim Gemalmaz, a 35-year old tanker driver drove his truck
up to the gates of the Prime Ministry to protest his poor living conditions.

In September two people, Ramazan Ertac (33) and Aydemir Aydin (32), set
a car on fire in front of the new Prime Ministry building out of frustration
because they couldn't pay their debts due to the economic crisis.

Last month, unemployed Bekir Celik approached the Prime Ministry, demanded
to
see Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and threatened to set himself on fire if
not
allowed.

Ankara - Turkish Daily News