Is this your justice?

The scales of justice are no longer even a balance scale...

Even if you connected them to a digital precision scale, one side might still weigh heavier. Because in Turkey, justice is measured by your surname, which party you salute, who your father is, the thickness of your wallet, and "who you stand close to." Did you say conscience? That is a word that no longer echoes in the corridors of the courthouse.

We experienced the most recent example of this just the other day. We witnessed yet another trial and a subsequent so-called sentence that did not cool our hearts and made us say, "Wow."

On July 9, 2024, Fatma Zehra Kınık Demir, the daughter of former Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) President Kerem Kınık, hit a moving motorcycle. 17-year-old Batın Barlasçeki lost his life. That child's dreams, loved ones, future, and right to life were left on that asphalt. Unfortunately, in Turkey, sometimes it is not just a life that is abandoned at the scene of an accident, but also a conscience.

Fatma Zehra, who was found 100 percent at fault according to expert reports, was tried without arrest. In the final hearing, she was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison. But don't worry, the pronouncement of that sentence was also deferred. Isn't that nice? When they say "the pronouncement of the verdict has been deferred," they seem to think that consciences are also eased.

In other words, the result: No punishment. No prison. Only her driver's license was suspended for two years. Just like the penalty given to a citizen who drives under the influence of alcohol! But here, a child has died! So, in this situation, is human life cheaper in Turkey, or is being a member of a certain family that valuable? As long as the question is asked whether the decision would have been the same if the driver who caused the death of a 17-year-old child in the accident had a different surname or was not the daughter of a figure close to the government, consciences will not be at ease.

We know that in Turkey, some have the freedom to commit crimes. They are granted discounted sentences, or sometimes even the right to impunity, through "family quotas." Trials that feel like rewards, decisions that feel like gestures... A life is gone, but you can walk out of the courtroom swinging your arms. You even have the audacity to say "I am not at fault" while leaving.

But what if you practice journalism? For example, if you tell the truth? Or if you ask questions? Then you are tried while under arrest. As if it were a crime, not news. Or if you criticize a social media influencer, especially if you criticize a cult leader coated in religious sauce because they came to your school... Welcome straight to the detention cell!

Now a new "judicial package" is being prepared. 35 thousand convicts are to be released. That's not enough! Empty the whole thing, brother. After all, it's not even clear what those inside are serving time for. The color of the crime changes according to the direction of the wind in this country. Three days ago, the greatest crime was terrorism, and now calculations are being made on how to send off those arrested for this crime with applause.

These things cannot be solved with packages or bags. What you call justice is not a supermarket promotion. The judicial system must be changed from top to bottom. You know that statue of justice with her eyes blindfolded? Tape both her eyes and her ears. If possible, lock her in a dark room so she doesn't know whose daughter or whose son is being tried. Let her speak only with the file.

Because justice is not just distributed; it is felt. What are you feeling right now?