DİYARBAKIR - Hayriye Demir, the 75-year-old woman who was just released after police detained her due to the political events she attended, said that she was subjected to insult and was not given medicine and water.

 

23 women, mostly Kurdish political activists, were detained in Diyarbakır as part of the investigation launched by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, including 75-year-old Hayriye Demir (Türkekul). Demir's home was raided by the military and she was released by the court on Wednesday on the second day of her detention. As the court released Demir with a ban on leaving the country, she was accused of "conducting activities on behalf of an organization" because of the demonstrations and political events she participated. 

 

ROSA WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION AND WITNESS NAMED 'ZS35SN58UV52PG10'

 

Demir said that the police asked her questions about the demonstrations in Diyarbakır's Koşuyolu Park she attended, when a massive hunger strike was launched to break to isolation imposed upon Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan. She was also asked about the telephone calls she made with the mothers of the prisoners. It was also learned that the anonymous witness, called “ZS35SN58UV52PG10” who was shown photographs to identify some people gave the following statement about Hayriye Demir, "I know this person you show me as Hayriye Mother. She goes to Rosa Women's Association. She willingly participates in the rallies and the events decided by the association."

 

SPEAKING TO INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS IS A CRIME!

 

It was also learned that the police considered it as a crime for Demir and other mothers of prisoners to meet with international journalists. The accusation based on speaking to international journalist was formulated as, "Conducting activities in order to humiliate the Republic of Turkey on the international arena". 

 

'FOR MY CHILDREN NOT TO DIE IN PRISON...'

 

Rejecting all charges against her, Demir said, “My two children were killed while they were in PKK. My three children were in prison at that time. I attended these demonstrations every day for my children. My only aim was to take action so that my children would not die in prison. I will give my life, everything I have for my children."

 

PHOTOGRAPH OF HIS SON IS A CRIME TOO!

 

Demir was asked to give a detailed statement due to the photograph of her son in PKK, Tekin Demir, who was killed in a clash. The photograph was also confiscated by the soldiers during the home raid.

 

'THEY DIDN'T GIVE A GLASS OF WATER'

 

Demir spoke to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) after she was released and told about what she has been through during the detention. Informing about the raid Demir stated that a group of 40 military soldiers raided her home on July 14, the soldiers confiscated the photos of her two sons killed in clashes after they joined PKK and she reacted to that. "They took me in a moment's notice without being able to take my medicines with me. They kept me waiting in a room for 2 hours in the gendarmerie building. I have heart disease; I had a headache waiting in the cell. I asked for a glass of water, they didn't give me. After taking me 3 other places that I don't really know where these places are they finally brought me in Diyarbakır Police Headquarters. I saw other women detained for the first time here. I asked the police, 'What have I done? What is my crime?' A police there told me, 'You raised terrorists.' I reacted to them. 'My sons did nothing wrong, their path is the right path,' I told them. 

 

'THEY OPPRESSED AND INSULTED ME UNDER CUSTODY’

 

Emphasizing that she has been subjected to verbal insult under police custody, Demir said, "I have problem with my legs, so I have trouble walking and I use a walking stick. My children brought my medicine to the police station, but police took the medicine, put them in a locker and did not give them to me. I was in police custody for two days and if they did not release me, I would die there. What kind of a state mentality is that? They have nothing in the name of humanity, in the name of justice. These are not human. They prepared a file with the tape records of my phone calls, hundreds of pages. I told them whatever they accuse me is a lie. 'I did everything for my children. I will walk on the path of my children until the apocalypse. I have to, because they are my heart, they are my everything,' I said.  A police officer told me, 'You went to TUAY-DER'. Yes, I did. I did because my children were in hunger strike in prison, I went for them. I raised my children in poverty; I sent them to schools in poverty. One of my sons was studying medicine. When they saw the brutality of the state against Kurds, they could not accept that injustice and they joined PKK. I am 75 years old, they have been taking me from one place to another for days, they insulted me and oppressed me under police custody. I told them I would never accept this and I will tell what they did to me everywhere."

 

MA / Cahit Özbek - Fahrettin Kılıç