Note: The following is a part of Salih Mirzabeyoglu’s answer to the accusation about himself, which he has started to give at the State Security Court in Istanbul. Mr. Mirzabeyoglu is a Muslim ideologist and writer who was arrested because he opposes to the regime in Turkey, and is being judged with the demand of death penalty. At the moment, he is kept in the Kartal Special Type Prison (Prison with one person cells) in Istanbul, in a cell completely isolated from the outer world and under extreme pressure. He prepared this written defense under these terrible conditions, still carrying the bruises and wounds of the torture he was treated by the military forces while being transferred to the Kartal Prison from the Metris Prison after a sudden raid carried up in Metris.
If you are interested, please leave a message to my e-mail address asking for the rest of his answer. It is also possible to send letters to him. His address is: Mr. Salih Mirzabeyoglu (Salih Izzet Erdis), Kartal Özel Tip Cezaevi, Sag B-7 Kartal-Istanbul/TURKEY
Sincerely…
E-mail: yukselharun@superonline.com
Regime, “system - order”, and law; these are all the concepts
10)Just as walking of some people to the reverse direction in a train cannot cause to deviate it from its way, so by using some articles telling the truth within a frame allowed by the state, the big press mentioned above pretends as if it itself voices also opposing views. In the context of this criterion, in the indictment the prosecutor confuses not only IBDA and IBDA-C, but also IBDA-Cs each other regarding the fact that the word IBDA-C refers to attribution and qualification. I want firstly to present Bekir Coskun’s article titled “Whither Media?” (Hurriyet Gazetesi, February 1st, 2000) as an example to make clear the point. Some of it as follows:
«You can see the other Turkey more on pages of daily journals. For instance, that Turkey is a “shining star.”
Or “fly my Turkey, fly.”
This “flying Turkey” is the Turkey where the money allocated to investment is equal to the money those close to the government stole only in 1999. The Turkey that could not prevent even those who ruined five banks from snatching at the money assigned to the citizens suffered from the terrific earthquake.
The Turkey where thieves and robbers are sovereign, and those who rifle the people are treated with honor.
It is the country of gangs.
It is a Turkey that gathers corpses from basements of houses because of disloyalty and blindness of those who govern the nation.
Here this is “the shining star.”
What do you think you are doing?
Is it possible to fly or be a star while such a media exists?»
Second example is a news that appeared in a daily newspaper called Aksham (January 26th, 2000) with the title of that “There are twenty thousand murder cases unsolved in Turkey”. It reads:
«Eyup Asik, deputy of ANAP from the city of Istanbul said “in the records of the state the number of murder cases unsolved has been around twenty-thousand. Asik says further that Ismet Sezgin, Interior Minister at that time, paid no importance, although he informed to him about the existence of Hizbullah through a report while he was executing the duty of chairmanship of the investigating committee for the murders unsolved. Eyup Asik says that “I said that ‘there is an illegal organization called Hizbullah in Batman. It kidnaps and commits murder’ He responded that “there is no such a thing”. Asik told that Hizbullah was protected by the Security Forces because it was used in the battle against the PKK.
Eyup Ashýk, speaking in a panel with the topic “Susurluk and the Murders Unsolved” held in Trabzon says that “Hizbullah has committed murders for ten years, but the state has just realized it.” “For Hizbullah was utilized in the struggle against the PKK, it was protected” he alleges and puts those claims forward.
“Those who were killed in the murders unsolved have numbered nearly twenty thousand. The Hizbullah phenomenon has a history of ten years in Turkey. When I was a member of the investigating the murders unsolved committee of the Great Public Assembly, I presented to the committee the result of my researches as a report. I said to Ismet Sezgin, Interior Minister of that time that “there is an illegal organization called Hizbullah in Batman. It is kidnapping and murdering people.” Thereupon he asked me “sure? There is no such thing.” Furthermore, when I asked of this case to the police chief of Batman, he belied me. It was denied for this organization was utilized in the struggle against the terrorist organization.”
After this news, which appeared in a space remote from sight in that journal, a third example, another news which came out again in a space remote from sight, with the title of “shocking accusation from the young prosecutor.” (The daily called Posta, 26th of January 2000)
(The prosecutor of Beyoglu Mehmet Demir claimed that the jurisdiction could not function because those who hold the powers of legislation and execution disrespect law. Demir said that some officers could back a bloody organization like Hizbullah accounting law as nothing.
Mehmet Demir, the prosecutor of Beyoglu voiced the problems of jurisdiction by publishing a statement yesterday. Mehmet Demir, touching on operations to Hizbullah, raised following questions: “What were prosecutors and judges doing while this organization was being unlawfully formed and used as an illegal force against PKK? Why did not it make necessary investigation about ones responsible? Or, while committing these crimes why could they act so comfortable that they did not take the jurisdiction into account at all?
Demir alleged that ones who hold the powers of legislation and execution have felt no respect to the jurisdiction for years. According to him, this attitude made the jurisdiction worsen economically, socially and psychologically, and he said that “the jurisdiction no longer considers itself an institution independent and equal to the others. The judges regard themselves as ordinary justice officers. The illegalities committed have been built upon this submission.” Demir called his colleagues “to prevent functionaries of state from doing illegal actions and involving in unlawful connections, and then we must all in cooperation help the jurisdiction stand up economically, socially, physically and psychologically. The young prosecutor finished his words with a warning: “What must be done must be immediately done! Or, some people can arbitrarily help an illegal organization to be established, and then we may encounter with fields of corpses.”
That is the matter; these are words of the chief of the Supreme Court of Appeal, a journalist, a deputy, and a prosecutor, and they can not be accused due to these words. Similarly, because I have quoted their words here as a guilty, nobody can condemn them either. Consequently, I, who have produced thoughts and expressed them in books and periodicals since 1975, and have made this work under the name of IBDA since 1984, can not be held responsible anyway for legal or illegal actions because of references attributed to me and quotations taken from me neither yesterday nor today or tomorrow, let alone being accused from my personal activities falling into the crime of conscience. Thus, a document that another prosecutor of Istanbul had sent to the prosecutor general of Adana five months before my detention confirms this point (this document had been presented to the court with the title of “Our Statements On the Indictment and Its Appendix by my attorney Harun Yuksel):
While the guilty was being wanted through a warrant of arrest with a decision of 11th May 1998, the file of him was sent to the prosecutor of Istanbul by the Security Court of State in Adana with the justification that ‘no evidence against him has been found, and in Istanbul he has carried on his illegal actions and published books and periodicals.’ If no evidence has been found against the guilty as stated in the decision of having no-authority of the SCS of Adana, the decision of ceasing to pursuit can be given. Furthermore, any illegal action of the guilty, which has been committed in the field of authority of the prosecutor general of the Security Court of State in Istanbul has not been established, according to the content of the court file.
Although the interior ministry has stated with a memorandum of 3rd March 1998 that the guilty has been a member and administrator of an illegal organization because of his activities in legal reviews and periodicals, it can not be evidence against him.)
And, Harun Yuksel, my attorney asks: “There is not any different evidence in the file of the SCS in Adana from that of the SCS in Istanbul. And, five months later after the SCS in Istanbul gave this decision, my client has been taken into custody and detained with the claim of administrating an illegal organization, a claim exactly devoid of support and proof, just like the SCS in Adana did. What has changed within these five months?” The sweetest answer to the question that “why I was arrested although there had been no indication, proof, or evidence against me?” is undoubtedly, after all these happenings, the word of superintendent Bahri who said “Those at the top are pushing for us. Thus, sooner or later, you will have to admit that you are the leader of IBDA-C” in the police interrogation. Just as the number of one hundred includes the numbers 1 to 99, with the same criterion of truth, another scene from the interrogation:
From my answers to their questions, they extracted five-odd questions, including such absurdness that I have to prove that I had never gone abroad. Two policemen (Bahri and another officer who, I think, is almost as old as Bahri, fair and whose name is probably Mehmet) came to the third matter
-OK, we acknowledge you do not see and recognize anybody; so let us consider that leadership matter.”
-When I said “if I do not see and give an order to anybody, how I can be the leader of the organization?”, Bahri told following words which would be much lighter than the fact that twenty-thousand people have been killed without being judged by the state forces:
-We did not harm you; if we had wanted,, we would have buried drug packs in your garden, and then we would tell “we found drugs in his garden.” Thus, acknowledge it gently!
When I did not accept this offer, Mehmet broke in on the conversation angrily and told:
“Boo to you! You can not even tell I am the leader of a terrorist organization, you can not show manliness! Lots of people who were brought here for actions of terrorism exalted you very much. You can not chant even a slogan!”
When I said “I had written forty-one books if you wish to comprehend them, read them” in response to the questions they asked only to “comprehend” such as “what is the difference between IBDA and IBDA-C?” and “what is the self-appearance?” Bahri gave that wonderful (!) answer:
“Mine lion! The prosecutor does not read your books. What he will see is but what we will send him.”
IBDA literally means (in Turkish) “the unique becoming, invention, genesis.” It also means “to give some capital to someone who will process it on condition that the profit which will be gained will belong to the debtor.” The self-appearance means, as may be understood from the words, “to decide by oneself, and then apply it. I have written forty-one books as appearance and meaning of it; however, to be able to understand this subtlety how share should one take from the meal of wisdom and idea? This is something separate of which everybody should think. But you will undoubtedly appreciate that: To someone who asks “what does a judge do?”, and by this way tries to learn all the science of jurispundence within several hours, you can not say nothing but “a judge is one who applies law and judges on cases.” In like manner, nothing but that “a doctor is one who tries to recover and cure the patient” may be said to one who, asking to a doctor that “what is the job of a doctor”, requires him to teach the science of medicine within several hours.
As seen from all those I have told, I have been subjected to an unlawful treatment such as “prove if you are innocent” since the interrogation at the police. I should add to this picture the role of the media which have tried to direct the public opinion against me since I was detained.
Consequently, with the name of IBDA I express my thoughts on various matters, just like the people to whom I referred above and who have made statements written or orally. I am illustrating the difference between the one who states his idea and the other being addressed, as being valid for all thought schools, in an example: “I make knives, those who wish cut breads, or those who wish kill men!” As the suffix “ci” in Turkish (in English “-ist”, “-seller”; for example ekmek-ci means bread-seller in English, and Ibda-ci means Ibda-ist) is meant for relation and attribution, and “ekmekci” (bread-seller) does not mean ekmek (bread) itself, so it is the same for Ibdaists in relation to Ibda. This fact is also valid for Ataturkists in relation to Ataturk, Marxists in relation to Marx, etc. Considering the fact that Ataturkists are described as “the Ataturkist Front” and Marxists constitute “the Marxist Front,” in much the same way there exists the Ibdaist Front. (We can mention here “the Nationalist Front” and “the Leftist Front,” too.) While the word “Front” states separate institutions and formations, this separation also contains institutions and formations opposite to each other. For example, there were different political parties in the “Nationalist Front” before the September 12th. Within the description of “the Leftist Front”, there were various legal and illegal political parties, organizations, and publishing activities, and some of them were entirely opposite to each other. Likewise, it is the same for the Ataturkist Front too. I will especially dwell upon it.
11) Now, from my work titled “the Torture” published in 1991, again the issues of IBDA-C and interrogation at the police:
(What is IBDA-C? “The activities that expose the thought of IBDA and are made by others than me; they are movements to which the responsibility, favor and failure of what they have done belong, and which are other than me.” The law of bureau of Kivam (properness), the Ibda Bookshops, the Bureau of Book-Propaganda, Ak-Dogus (White-Rise-periodical-), the Shadow-Art as a failing deal; what is meant as “Front” are these. This explanation has angered the “ghosts” who have applied to every way from bright promises to threatens, and drubs at that moment only for obtaining the sentence that “IBDA-C is an armed struggle front of IBDA.” This is one of the most important characteristics that I noticed: They strive for acquiring professional achievement rather than founding what is really true, thus the possibility that those taken into custody may be innocent almost worries them. Therefore the person they called “chief” angrily, or pretending as if he was angry, raised me from the chair and then took me to the front of the wall. He bumped me to the wall several times by clasping my shoulders. Then he laid me my face downwards in a delighted state of a new finding, which will make me wretched in his foolish opinion, by saying “fall down and come up on your hands unceasingly while parallel to the ground.” As I will be falling down and coming up while my body parallel to the ground, I will be tired, and he will kick me saying “go on!” A corny trick! Thus, as I will be beaten in any case, after several falling down and coming up, I did not continue to do it in spite of the kicks that the chief struck by using his shoe’s upper. From this behavior, I drew the conclusion that they desired not to remain any mark of wounds and bruises, or fracture. After the kicking chapter, the chief, angering too (!) much, began to trample down my back, hands, feet and waist. Meanwhile I was unceasingly repeating “La havle vela kuvvete illa billah” (Nobody has power but Allah) as having released myself. The one who spoke fluently broke in with another corny trick: “Do not do it chief, he will acknowledge!”
12) The date is especially important: 1991. In a demonstration to protest the offense of the USA and some other countries against Iraq (namely that well-known Gulf War) by various Islamist groups, there happened a conflict between the police and the demonstrators who had come out from the Mosque of Bayazid, and some of the arrested were Ibdaists. There had not been any illegal armed organization among IBDA-Cs until that time.
