Young people arrested on the first anniversary of March 19 speak to 12punto: 'It was a popular movement'

Cenk Başboğaoğlu - 12punto.com.tr

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and Republican People's Party (CHP) Presidential Candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention on the morning of March 19 was a step toward usurping the citizens' right to vote and be elected. The mobilization against the operation carried out against the opposition took place on March 19, and the public broke the wall of fear that had been built against the oppressive policies implemented by the government for years.

Büşra Ürgen and Emircan Yılmaz, two of the 13 young people who were detained and subsequently arrested during the protests held in Saraçhane on the 100th day of the resistance, which is considered to have started on March 19, shared their experiences with 12punto.

'IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT EKREM İMAMOĞLU'

Büşra Ürgen, who was first detained and then referred for arrest during the 100th-day protest on July 1, said about the resistance: “March 19 was a process that began with the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu. We can see this event as a pioneering part of young people taking action. Many of us started taking to the streets without knowing where these events might lead or what the outcome might be. The March 19 process was not limited to a single date; it became a voice across the country, bringing together people from many different backgrounds, from workers to students, and became a symbol of resistance.

Just as the Gezi Resistance was not just about trees, for us, this was not just about Ekrem İmamoğlu or the CHP. The common denominator that united everyone here was the injustices committed, the chains placed on our freedom of expression, and the accumulated anger against this system that causes anxiety about the future and disregards the will of the nation. When we took to the streets to exercise our constitutional right and express our desire to live in a freer country, we were met with tear gas, plastic bullets, and verbal and physical violence from the police.

We were detained with reverse handcuffs, which they don't even use on rapists or murderers of women. In fact, we had seen all of this during the Gezi Resistance. The Gezi Resistance was an act of unity that both pioneered us and guided us with its experiences. For those we lost, for Berkin, for Ali İsmail, our voices had united on those streets,” she said.

Emircan Yılmaz, who was detained on the same day and subsequently arrested, said regarding March 19: “I am one of the young people who is being tried for expressing their thoughts and standing up against injustice. The process was shaped by developments that began with the unlawful detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu. However, this process should not be read solely through İmamoğlu. The fact that people from all walks of life took to the streets, and that university students played an active role and were directly involved in the process, showed that the issue was actually the result of a broader social accumulation. It was a rebellion against the administration that has been going on for years, and a popular movement that grew in its wake.

I took to the streets because of many social insecurities and threats to life, such as universities being turned into areas for rent, the normalization of child labor and deaths under the name of MESEM, the insecurity of student dormitories (KYK) and the successive student deaths, the lack of a free and fair education system, people dying of hunger in the country due to poverty, and women being murdered while their perpetrators are protected. Being on the street was the right place to overcome the fear that the government has been instilling in us for years and to stand tall against all of this,” he stated.

'WE ARE CONTINUING'

Describing the process he went through after his detention and arrest, Yılmaz said, “I think the biggest thing I encountered was being sent to Silivri Prison and spending about 65 days in jail. In addition to the politicization of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and their being under the monopoly of the government, we faced unlawful detentions, pressures, and arrests, along with the state's increasing pressure and ruthless behavior in our struggle against poverty, injustice, and inequality. But these pressures did not diminish the legitimacy of our demands. On the contrary, they made them more justified and visible. At the same time, it showed that it is not the people who take to the streets who are afraid, but the system that instrumentalizes the judiciary to block and stop every segment that raises its voice. This process showed me that demanding rights may not always create a safe space, but remaining silent means handing over your own freedom with your own hands.” Describing his time in prison, he said, “The moment you enter prison, you leave behind not just your freedom, but your perception of time and your daily life. In fact, being behind bars for 65 days showed me how concrete a thing freedom is. It is naturally jarring to have a life flowing outside while it has stopped for you. But the activity you do most within four walls is thinking. You confront yourself, your loved ones, the views you value, and why you are there. When a person pays a price for what they believe in, that belief becomes even stronger. When I got out of prison, I saw that the life I had left behind was laid out before me, even more intensified. I tried to get used to this situation and overcome it. It took time for all of us to resolve the problems and return to normal. They stole our time and our freedom, but not our thoughts and our dreams… Because of this, we held onto our struggle even more and we continue to defend our thoughts with the same consistency.” Ürgen added, “If I have to briefly describe it, starting from the prison process, I think the biggest difficulty actually starts on the 'inside' part. When we were first taken to the ward, we started staying in the same ward as Seyhan Mayor Oya Hanım. If you have entered prison and are a political prisoner, it is of great importance to look out for each other and continue that unity there. On one hand, staying within four walls without being able to do anything while trying to protect your mental health becomes a difficult situation for a person. Perhaps the point where I was lucky was being in the same ward as my other friends and Oya Hanım. While we were trying to get through that 2-month process in the easiest way possible, one of our biggest supporters was our lawyers who did not leave us alone. There were points where I felt sad and hurt while I was inside. One of these points where I felt hurt was actually from the CHP side. Even though we were taken during their rally and were young people who led the growth of these actions, the fact that they lagged behind in terms of support was a sad point for me. At the end of the 2 months that we somehow got through, when we came out, an adjustment process began for all of us. In this part, just as we had taken a new step toward freedom, we unfortunately had to deal with investigations opened by our universities on one hand and by the dormitories, which are our right to housing, on the other. But we knew that these were policies implemented to intimidate us. I hope that these persecutions will end as soon as possible and that all political prisoners will regain their freedom,” she stated.