Mansur Yavaş makes a promise to Berkay Gezgin: 'We will not forget you, my child, we will never let you be forgotten'

Berkay Gezgin, who became etched in memory with the sentence "My Mayor, everything will be very beautiful" during the 2019 election campaign for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was arrested and sent to prison for participating in the Saraçhane protests. 

Berkay Gezgin's first sentence after the arrest decision was issued was "Please don't let me be forgotten." 

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş made a promise in a post on his social media account by recalling this sentence of Berkay's. Yavaş said, "We will not forget you, my child. We will never let you, or those like you who speak with their hearts, be forgotten." 

Yavaş used the following expressions in the post in question: 

"Freedom of thought, the right to criticism, and peaceful demonstration are the cornerstones of our democracy and are guaranteed by our Constitution. A country where young people can speak, journalists can write, and the public can make their voices heard on the streets is our common dream.

However, unfortunately, we are witnessing developments in recent days that cast a shadow over this dream.

There are journalists who are taken from their homes in the early hours of the morning and then arrested, young people who are sought to be silenced by police intervention, and our children who are arrested for addressing the crowd from the podium in this country now.

That beautiful child of ours who said, 'Everything will be very beautiful,' Berkay Gezgin… Today he is 22 years old and has been arrested. The youth of this country are being punished for having dreams. Brilliant young people who only want to make their voices heard are being sought to be silenced with handcuffs.

I am calling out from here: We must raise these young people by listening to them, not by frightening or intimidating them. We have to lend an ear to them. Because they are the future of this country.

Berkay's last words were, 'Please don't let me be forgotten.'

We will not forget you, my child. We will never let you, or those like you who speak with their hearts, be forgotten."

News Source: 12punto