Professor Emel will become a TEMA volunteer as soon as she is released!..

You are aware of the security measures taken for the NATO Summit held in Ankara on July 7-8, and especially for Trump, who attended this summit for Erdoğan's sake, which turned into a de facto martial law. Not only in Ankara, but in many of our provinces, whether relevant or not, almost not even birds were allowed to fly.

Despite this, Erdoğan said, "A delicate balance was maintained between ensuring security at the highest level during the summit process and protecting the rights and freedoms of our citizens."

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi also defended that they did not exaggerate the security measures and that they took only as many measures as necessary, stating the following:

"At such an important summit, where all the eyes of the world were on us and a press army was following, the smallest incident could have negatively affected our country's image as a safe country. Therefore, to avoid such a thing, we took measures as much as we needed to without exaggerating. I see that we were successful in that as well."

If a truly delicate balance was maintained between security and the protection of our citizens' rights and freedoms, why were hundreds of people, including TEMA volunteers over the age of 60, detained and arrested 15 days before the summit? Why were all anti-NATO activities banned as far away as Elazığ?

It is true that since not the slightest incident occurred at the summit, our image as a safe country was not tarnished, as Minister Çiftçi put it; but did these detentions and arrests not significantly damage our image as a democratic state of law?

One of those who was detained in a dawn raid on June 23 and arrested two days later on charges of "membership in an armed terrorist organization" was 51-year-old Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emel Memiş Parmaksız, known as a pride of the Faculty of Political Sciences (Mülkiye) and the academy.

Professor Emel, who provides training on budgeting and aging issues to over 350,000 public officials, primarily at the Ministries of Interior and Justice, was accused of being a member of the TKP/ML terrorist organization, just like the TEMA volunteers. Although she said, "What TKP/ML? I am a scientist working for my state and my nation," she was arrested. The summit ended, Trump left; but she is still in Sincan Prison and, like the others, is waiting for her appeal against her detention to be heard.

OUR LESSON: WOMEN'S POVERTY

It is impossible not to wonder what a scientist is doing in prison and what she does there. That is why I directed a few questions to Professor Emel through her lawyers, and thankfully, she answered them.

For example, when asked what she thinks has happened to our country as a professor, she replied:

"I always looked at issues with hope. But now I see what is happening as imperialist powers influencing governments to manage society as a single power and keeping it under unlimited pressure. Imperialist powers can do this thanks to their local collaborators. The issue is not just a crisis of democracy; it is global capitalism suppressing societies through fascism, which is one of its most important tools for recovery."

When I asked her to define herself, she described herself as "a feminist who has always fought for equality," while underlining that the TEMA volunteers were also arrested unnecessarily and unfairly, and noting that she did not know why she was taken with them or why they were charged with being part of the TKP/ML organization.

I asked if there was any possibility or chance that she could have done something to Trump or other leaders if she had not been arrested during the summit process; she replied, "What could I do?.. I can't do anything."

She described their daily life in prison as follows:

"We wake up to the morning roll call. While the friends on duty prepare breakfast, we exercise with those who want to after walking in the courtyard. There is a flower blooming between the concrete, we water it and feed the birds. We bought a refrigerator and a television a few days ago. Now we can drink cold water and watch the developments. Outside of these routines, I teach lessons to friends who want to learn about poverty, especially women's poverty and inflation, and answer their questions."

She stated that she was most saddened by the fact that she could not yet have an open visit with her 15-year-old son, and that she was most surprised that there was a video phone in the ward—even though they were only allowed to use it as a regular phone because they were arrested on "terrorism" charges.

Her answer to the question of what she wants to do first as soon as she regains her freedom was quite meaningful: "My son started keeping a diary during this time we were apart, I will read those first. Then I will become a TEMA volunteer and study Ecofeminism," she said.

The last message from Professor Emel was as follows:

"I am most saddened by my son and our young people; by the TEMA volunteers, and by them seeing what happened to us and falling into despair."

Those who have been talking and writing for days about the hospitality, shows, music, and gifts at the NATO Summit do not say a single word about these unjust and unlawful arrests, they insistently ignore them; that is what I regret the most!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

July 13, 2026