In memory of Turan Karakaş… believing in the truth, remaining committed to it…

According to Aristotle, man has a purpose, and this purpose is not merely to 'live'! Man's purpose is a life unique to himself, that is, a 'life of action' related to reason. It is the aspiration of those who believe in the truth and remain committed to it that actions be performed in a manner worthy of a virtuous person, in a way that is good and beautiful for humanity… The truth, only the truth!

''THE END OF A PATH NOT FOLLOWED BY SCIENCE IS DARKNESS''

On November 24, Teachers' Day, we bid farewell to a teacher into eternity… A teacher, a lawyer, a grandfather, a father, an older brother, a brother, a friend, a companion, a comrade…

I am in deep sorrow over the loss of Attorney Turan Karakaş, a Republican intellectual, an unwavering soldier of Atatürk's principles and revolutions, a lawyer for the Ergenekon and Balyoz conspiracy cases, a patriot, and a 12punto columnist. Turan was a monument to progressivism, conscience, honesty, kindness, and a pristine life. He stood against injustices and wrongs, no matter who they came from or where they originated. He was a soul on the trail of the truth… He approached nature and every living being with love and respect.

Death is an inevitable fact of life. As Yunus Emre said, “If the body dies, the soul does not.” Turan has walked to the Truth. Just as in the words of Aşık Hüdai, whom he loved dearly and whose words he had been repeating frequently lately: “Death dies, we do not die…”

His principles and his light are with us…

THE INTELLECTUAL CHILD OF A MASON... 

As long as human existence continues, relationships and activities will always exist. The effort to understand what is happening, what humans do, their activities, the attitudes and decisions they take, and the world formed as a result of all these from a philosophical perspective will never end.

Human life takes place within a world. There are individuals. The world exists with individuals, what individuals do, and what they bring forth…

The word I heard most often from Turan Karakaş was “truth.” Then science, love, rights, justice, being good, honesty, reason... He was the embodiment of the saying, “The end of a path not followed by science is darkness” and “goodness is good”… He emphasized solidarity and unity: “Let us be one, let us be great, let us be alive.”

Amidst the ranks he attained, he proudly emphasized that he was the son of a mason; he stated that he was educated and enlightened thanks to that labor and the Republic. He was part of the '68 generation. He was a student of Münci Kapani… He was a witness to history… He had friendships, struggles, and memories with Deniz Gezmiş, Uğur Mumcu, Necip Hablemitoğlu, Alpaslan Işıklı, İlhan Selçuk, and many others. I said he was a witness to history, but that is incomplete; he was also involved in politics and struggle to intervene in history.

WHO CAN VEIL THE TRUTH!

Turan always emphasized that one should not accept anything without passing it through the filter of reason and questioning it. No matter who it was, he did not give up on the principles he defended or what he knew to be the truth. He did not act hypocritically for the sake of a forty-year friendship! He was hurt, but he did not hurt; “even if he was broken, he did not break anyone.”

Attorney Turan Karakaş, our heads are held high. Rest in peace… Our hearts, our minds, and our foreheads are clear. Knowing you, listening to you, and reading your articles and books is a great happiness and honor for me. May your cycle be eternal, brother…

We will continue to walk on the path of Atatürk, on the trail of the truth!

The truth, yes the truth; who can veil the truth!