Moving message from imprisoned Sinem Dedetaş: 'To the friends whose faces are turned toward us...'

Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, who was arrested 68 days ago as part of operations targeting municipalities, has shared a new message from prison. Dedetaş, who is being held at the Karatepe Prison in Çorlu, stated that the solidarity letters sent to her provide strength under prison conditions.

In her message, Dedetaş stated that she is on her 68th day in prison, saying, "I will not bore you by describing the conditions here. I will talk about something beautiful: your solidarity letters. They literally become a source of strength to endure."

Dedetaş also shared the story of an "oya" (traditional needle lace) included in one of the letters she received. The letter emphasized solidarity by drawing on the nature of the sunflower turning toward the sun; it described how when one sunflower becomes ill, the other sunflowers around it turn their faces toward it.

The letter included the phrases, "May your head never bow; our prayers, our faith, and our good energy are turned toward you. Our day begins with patience and love. Until you are free, our faces will be turned toward you..."

Here is Dedetaş's message:

"Today is my 68th day in prison. I will not bore you by describing the conditions here. I will talk about something beautiful: your solidarity letters. They literally become a source of strength to endure. They help me greatly in overcoming my loneliness here, my longing, and the feeling of having been treated unjustly. Each one is uniquely precious.

A STORY THAT CAME WITH 'OYA'

I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. Today, I wanted to share one of them with you. Inside, there is a story that came with an 'oya,' one of the most beautiful handicrafts of our culture:

'...I am one of the millions who believe that you have been treated unjustly during the difficult days our country is going through. We are striving to stand by you with both our prayers and our resilience. I will describe our situation to you with an oya story. I am also attaching the oya whose story I am telling to my letter.

The sunflower; it also has names like 'günebakan' (sun-looker), 'gündöndü' (day-turner), 'günçiçeği' (sun-flower), 'günetepen' (sun-climber), and 'günaşık' (sun-lover). I think its state of turning its face to the sun earned it these names. One of the characteristics of sunflowers is this: When one of them becomes ill, the other sunflowers around it do not turn their faces to the sun, but to their friend whom they know needs energy. With their existing energy, almost like a mycorrhizal network, they transmit healing power to it; until they make its head stand tall again.

"MAY YOUR HEAD NEVER BOW"

May your head never bow; our prayers, our faith, and our good energy are turned toward you. Our day begins with patience and love. Until you are free, our faces will be turned toward you...'

Hearing and feeling this is so important! With my love to all the friends and all my sisters whose faces are turned toward us, and who send their feelings of solidarity and their prayers..."