Eğitim-İş calls for justice from Silivri: Their futures are being deliberately undermined

Members of the Central Executive Board of the Eğitim-İş Union, along with branch and representative members, attended the press statement in front of Silivri Prison, where they demanded the immediate release of the detained students.

Eğitim-İş President Kadem Özbay stated the following in his address there:

"We have gathered here today to be the voice of the students, journalists, politicians, and all citizens who have spoken out against lawlessness and are being held in Silivri Prison solely for expressing their thoughts and exercising their democratic rights.

The youth of this country, the students who are the future of this country, have been torn from their freedom without having committed any crime. They only exercised their constitutional rights; their right to speak, their right to assemble, their right to protest... Now, they are being held behind dark walls and iron doors. Why? Because they are being silenced!

Our students and our youth clearly state that they have been subjected to inhumane treatment during detention processes and in prison. Strip searches, physical violence, torture... In 2025, these things should not even be discussed in a state governed by the rule of law! But unfortunately, they are happening and are being inflicted. This shame is written on all of our accounts.

These young people are also being deprived of their right to education. Their exams are about to begin, but they cannot study. They cannot prepare for their exams and cannot access their books.

Furthermore, our students are being deprived not only of their freedom but also of their futures:

They are facing the risk of repeating a year because they cannot attend university,

Their academic progress is being halted because they cannot exercise their exam rights,

They are being effectively stripped of their right to housing by being evicted from KYK dormitories,

They are being left economically helpless as state support and scholarships are cut,

Their education is being disrupted, and their futures are being deliberately undermined.

This situation is not just an individual injustice, but also a major blow dealt to the future of the country.

It is stated that they have been given only one meal a day for days in prison and are forced to live in the same clothes. No health, no hygiene, no humanity... None of it exists. So, will we remain silent?

We ask clearly from here: What is the crime of these children? Is it a crime to express thoughts in a democratic way in a democratic country? The law of enmity applied to these young people who want to reunite with their families, schools, and friends is unacceptable! They are our children, they are the children of this country! Seeing the children of this country as enemies, judging them as enemies, dividing the people, and deepening social divisions is wrong.

The scales of justice must not falter! This persecution inflicted upon the youth of this country will one day surely be held to account. We shout once again from here: This injustice must end immediately! The youth must be released immediately and should be able to continue their education from where they left off.

Allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be investigated immediately and independently, and those responsible must be brought to justice. This country cannot be built on injustice! No government that tries to let its youth rot in prisons can be exonerated in the conscience of history!

Remember: Every voice silenced today will become a knot in all of our throats tomorrow. Every future stolen today is our country being condemned to darkness tomorrow. Their freedom is our freedom. This struggle is the struggle of us all.

Today, we are here to demand justice not only for the students, but also for the journalists who are the voice of the free press, for the politicians who represent the will of the people, and for every citizen who does not bow to lawlessness.

We want justice! Right now, immediately! We want freedom! We are standing up for our youth, journalists, politicians, citizens, our future, and the conscience of this country!

"IT CAN NEVER BE ACCEPTED IN THE CONSCIENCE OF HISTORY"

As educators of the Republic, we came here to meet with our youth and children, who are the future of this country. We requested a meeting with our headquarters lawyer and two regional lawyers. As the President of Eğitim-İş, I also conveyed that we wanted to meet at least one-on-one with the children of our 3 members, but inside, for visitors and the public, a meeting with a representative of Eğitim-İş, one of the largest unions in this country, depends entirely on the arbitrary decisions of the prosecutor and the authorities inside.

We were kept waiting inside for more than an hour, at the end of a phone, waiting to see if they would say 'Yes, you can meet' or not. The request of our 3 lawyers to meet one-on-one with the prosecutor could not be accepted. Then, of course, because they are legal professionals, our lawyer friends entered with their legal credentials and met with our students.

When we asked what the situation was inside, the children said, 'Everyone is coughing.' They are talking about a suspicion of an epidemic and are making requests regarding this. Only 3-4 of our children are selected among them. A check is done at the infirmary. They are sent back saying 'There is nothing wrong.'

This is actually the picture. If the youth who are the future of a country are being held captive, and if they are being torn from their families and loved ones for days, even during the holiday, when they wouldn't even have to serve time if they were tried in a truly fair court, this can never be accepted in the conscience of history."

News Source: 12punto