Resul Emrah Şahan writes from Silivri Prison: 'It is not a crime that brought me here...'

Removed from office, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan shared his assessments regarding his detention process in a letter written from Silivri Prison. Arguing that the accusations against him are political, Şahan said, "It is not a crime that brought me here, but an idea that belongs to all of us."

In his letter, Şahan defended his management approach in Şişli and the importance of the Istanbul Alliance-City Consensus process. Stating that the Istanbul Alliance was targeted with implications of terrorism during the 2019 elections, Şahan expressed that this alliance contributed to the country's democratic culture through a social democratic local government approach.

Şahan's letter is as follows:

'Looking at the Process from Silivri, a Part of the Country

Today, here, within the heavy breath of these four walls, I am watching the steps taken for peace for the future of a country. I am both inside and outside; I am both surrounded by walls and I feel the entire voice of the nation in my marrow. The line of my story does not begin with pain, but with hope; it continues with hope. Every step is both a silent witness to a personal journey and the living breath of the belief that a fairer country is possible.

'THEY MADE THE ISTANBUL ALLIANCE A CAMPAIGN ISSUE WITH IMPLICATIONS OF TERRORISM IN THE 2019 ELECTIONS'

From the first day I took office in Şişli, I held onto one principle: The 85 million citizens of this country live under the same sky with equal rights. In this district, which has tasted the abundance of living together, protecting the coming together of those who are different was both an ethical and historical responsibility. The ancient saying that the Alevi teaching engraved into my child's heart still rings in my ears: “Look at the seventy-two nations with the same gaze.” I adopted this as an ancient map etched into my soul, a star guiding my life. I took every step, every decision under the guidance of this light; both as a bureaucrat and as a mayor, this principle became my compass in city and human relations. Listening to people's colors, languages, and beliefs like notes, and turning the whole melody into a single tune, became the way to keep this saying alive in my heart.

What is the reason for them taking me away from my family and my beloved duty with a dawn raid one morning? Let me say: The crime of the “Istanbul Alliance-City Consensus.” Yet, with the Istanbul Alliance, a seed was planted in these lands we love so much. Thus, we all took responsibility within our social democratic local government approach, taking a big step toward the democratic culture our country has been trying to reach for a century; we took this responsibility as a nation. The response this pluralistic model created in society was so great that it became a threat to those who advocate for singularity. In the 2019 elections, they made the Istanbul Alliance a campaign issue with implications of terrorism, trying to spread fear among the citizens of this country. However, we are such a beautiful nation that on March 31, 2024, we answered those who try to rule with fear and anxiety with a one million vote margin, saying, “We are here and we are together.”

This idea of an alliance, which began among the legitimate political actors of a city and spread to society, refers to a broader picture regarding the future of Turkey. The main reason for my current detention is not a “crime”; on the contrary, what they want to count as a crime is this idea, which does not belong to me but to all of us. Substitute detentions and new files opened are nothing more than an effort to postpone the realization of the dream of an equal, fair, and free country for everyone.

'LET US NOT BREAK AWAY FROM SINCERITY, JUSTICE, AND TRUTH'

Therefore, we must genuinely uphold a pluralistic democracy idea rising from the local level, in defiance of all of today's conditions. Although the process extending from Şişli to Silivri shows how fragile this path is, it reveals the power of society's demand for justice.

The Turkey Alliance-City Consensus is the key, the emotion, and the consent of the process that is being tried to be advanced despite all pressures and operations. Today, there are those who try to step on the sprouts of democracy growing from the local level. Yet we know that no matter how much sprouts are crushed, if the soil is truthful, they will emerge again. Just as dew drops shine in the sun on the morning of the Amik Plain, so does the conscience of the people shine. This country has the power to grow a sense of pluralistic unity by healing its wounds. As long as we do not leave each other alone. Let us not break away from sincerity, justice, and truth.'

News Source: 12punto