Will Eros' arrow strike us too?

Turkey witnessed a crowd at the courthouse the other day that it had not seen in a long time… 

Eros the cat encountered İbrahim Keloğlan in the elevator of the apartment building where he lived on January 1, 2024. Keloğlan began kicking the cat; when the elevator opened on another floor, Eros tried to escape, but Keloğlan followed him and cornered him. He then tortured Eros for approximately six minutes, causing his death. 

On February 8, 2024, in the first hearing held at the Küçükçekmece 16th Criminal Court of First Instance, Keloğlan was sentenced to one year and three months in prison; in the same session, he received a three-month sentence reduction due to 'good conduct,' and the court subsequently deferred the announcement of the verdict. 

Naturally, this situation, especially the good conduct reduction, sparked a massive backlash from those who defend the right to life. 

A second verdict was handed down regarding İbrahim Keloğlan the other day. Keloğlan was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of 'Intentional killing of an animal,' again receiving a 'good conduct' reduction. And a travel ban was imposed… 

Those who defend the right to life, those thirsty for justice—in short, everyone with a conscience—were there for Eros' sake. Those who could not attend showed their support on social media. 

All this reaction was because of the brutal slaughter of a living soul… 

But were those shouting 'Justice! Justice' and shedding tears struggling only for our little friend Eros? 

I believe there was a flip side, a subconscious, and a thirst behind what was visible… 

This struggle was for everyone and everything that the scales of justice in this land have not weighed, or could not weigh, for a long time… 

By now, the belief that justice will not be served, and of course the things that have been experienced, are at such a level, and there are so many instances of being put in the wrong while being in the right…

The examples of justice and the judiciary working only for a certain segment, and the state of siding with or appearing to side with the politically powerful rather than the true victim, cut deep into our souls. 

Women are dying, being murdered. Children are being victimized, their innocence stolen.

People are falling victim to murders disguised as accidents… Families are falling apart. 

Journalists who want to ask questions serve longer prison sentences than murderers. 

The blindfold on the statue of Themis, the symbol of justice in front of courthouses, is gone. The sword in her hand is no longer in the hand of the righteous, but the powerful… 

As you know, Eros is known as the god of love in mythology… 

He shoots his arrow and love begins… 

The crowd that gathered for Eros the other day did not just gather for that little soul… 

It was for everyone who has been thirsty for justice for a long time, who has had to scream inside, and who has no faith left that justice will be served… 

It was for all of us… 

Will Eros' arrow strike us too? 

Will it add life to our lives? 

Will it sprout hope within us once again? 

Will it also strike the moments when we have been ashamed to even love or laugh for so long? 

Nazım's lines come to mind now;

'We were just going to smell a flower, adopt an animal, get to know a few people, love them, and leave this world. What a bad time our lives coincided with... We fell into the middle of the heartless, the perverts, the murderers, the hatred, and the ignorance!'

Our fate is left to Eros' arrow!