Heroes of democracy

Nene Hatun is the symbolic female hero of the defense of the Erzurum fortifications during the 1877-78 Ottoman-Russian War, known as the 93 War, who left her 3-month-old baby at home. She fought against the Russians at the age of 20, saying, "My baby can grow up without a mother, but not without a homeland."

She spent most of her life in poverty.

She is a symbolic female hero who was deemed worthy of the "Woman of the Year" title, awarded for the first time in Turkey in 1955 by the "Turkish Women's Union."

The Istanbul Üsküdar AKP organization had bestowed the title of "Nene Hatun of this century" upon Dr. Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, an AKP Deputy Chairperson and former Minister of Family and Social Policies, who claimed that symbolic female hero for herself and whose name was involved in the century's fund robbery and fraud case. 

Her involvement as a perpetrator in "the greatest fraud of this century," in which her own supporters, party members, and thousands of our citizens were defrauded, will go down in history as a shameful event for our country. 

It is heartbreaking to see the approach of the public prosecutor's offices, the courts—in other words, the law—to these events in the face of such a major incident. It is impossible not to be heartbroken when seeing the behavior applied to opposition parties, many bureaucrats, security forces, and in the courthouses. 

Today, there has never been a period where rights, law, and justice have been applied with such 180-degree differences, separately, and with double standards before the eyes of the public. I leave it to the discretion of our people to judge those who have brought our justice system to this point of acting so differently.

Unfortunately, we are watching with curiosity where these highly organized fraud and robbery events, which we are witnessing these days, will lead. 

I leave the mayors and municipal council members who have changed sides due to the various pressures and intrigues of the ruling power alone with their lack of conscience. Özgür Özel gave the necessary definition for them. In my opinion, even the word "traitor" is not enough. 

Courage is important in politics. If you are not brave, you should not get involved in politics at all. Just sit quietly at home, my brother. Especially in Turkey, the world of politics is thorny and difficult. You must enter politics knowing this.

I once again appreciate, salute, and bow with respect before the hundreds of innocent people who have been suffering in poor prison conditions for months, even without their indictments being written. Each of them is a "Hero of Democracy." 

We are watching all these events with the pride of our history, Nene Hatun from Erzurum, on one side, and the female minister dubbed the "modern Nene Hatun of this century" on the other. I feel great sadness for having been under the same roof of Parliament as Fatma B. S. Kaya during the same period.

On the other hand, about 40 mayors, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, dozens of municipal council members, and hundreds of bureaucrats and members of the press, all elected by the people and the National Will, are suffering in courthouse corridors and prisons. To break their resistance and make their hopelessness permanent, they are extending their detention in an unjust and unlawful manner, and their indictments are being delayed. 

In whose name are these pains and sufferings endured? In the name of "Democracy." Each of them is a hero to me. This society will not forget the democracy heroes inside, their contributions to Turkish democracy, and their struggle for democracy. I will always bow before them with respect and love and applaud them.

Prof. Dr. Nurettin DEMİR