They were headed to court: Farah Zeynep Abdullah’s ‘judge’ jab at Yılmaz Güney’s family

On the anniversary of the death of actor, director, and screenwriter Yılmaz Güney, who passed away on September 9, 1984, writer Murathan Mungan posted on his X account: "It is the 39th anniversary of Yılmaz Güney’s death. Beyond being a good director, a good actor, and a good screenwriter, he was the best-walking man in our cinema. No one else could touch the deepest part of our souls while looking with sadness, tilting their neck slightly to the side, like he did."

"THE BEST WOMAN-BEATING MAN IN OUR CINEMA"

Responding to Mungan, Farah Zeynep Abdullah stated: "Let’s say he was the best-walking man in our cinema, ha-ha, and also the best woman-beating man, rich in terms of types of violence, and effective at using weapons."

“A DELUSION TO GAIN INSINCERE APPLAUSE”

Yılmaz Güney’s family reacted to these statements by Abdullah and decided to file a lawsuit.

Lawyer Bişar Alinak made the following statement on behalf of Yılmaz Güney’s family:

“Yılmaz Güney is an artist who, in his own words, expressed that he ‘found himself inadequate and was striving for development and change’ in his attitude toward women’s rights, and who encouraged everyone who turned their face to him on this subject to transform, and again in his own words, to move away from ‘feudal and reactionary codes’ and to engage in tireless self-criticism and progress.”

“To smear an artist who has criticized himself on these topics and has become a symbol of the hope for the transformation and change of society, to insult his memory, and to violate the personal rights of his family regarding the sincere efforts to end the cycle of violence in society is, to put it mildly, insolence.”

“We view the targeting of Yılmaz Güney—whose memory evokes peace and hope for millions—by new-generation artists who cannot raise their voices against the systematic attacks directed at women, Kurds, workers, revolutionary forces, and LGBTI+ individuals, and against the law enforcement, the government, those they protect, and the policies of impunity in Turkey today, as a delusion to gain insincere applause that winks at millions who are being manipulated. We see this state of thoughtlessness where historical ignorance is wrapped in malice, and we present the point that opportunism has reached to the appreciation of the public on behalf of those who hold the floor.”

“WE WILL EXERCISE OUR LEGAL RIGHTS”

“We evaluate actress Farah Zeynep Abdullah’s statement at this level, state that we understand and see that she cannot raise her voice against the true perpetrators of violence and evil, and reiterate that we will stand against any understanding that views Yılmaz Güney as a symbol of violence…”

“We share the hope for a future where no person in this country is subjected to the slightest injustice or violent behavior, and we want to emphasize that Yılmaz Güney’s will to change, transform, and fight tirelessly is a value that nourishes this hope. We respectfully inform the public that we will continue to ensure the protection of Yılmaz Güney’s moral memory and the personal rights of his family and relatives by exercising all our legal rights against every individual involved in the smear campaign, starting with actress Farah Zeynep Abdullah, who did not take our sincere warnings into account.”

Reading the family’s statement, Farah Zeynep Abdullah wrote on her X account, this time referring to Yılmaz Güney’s killing of a judge with a gun in 1974: “But there is no shooting a judge.”

News Source: 12punto