TAYAD Statements on Massacre in Kucukarmutlu
IN ARMUTLU A MASSACRE WAS CARRIED OUT!
(TAYAD is the Association of Solidarity With The Families of Prisoners)
They engaged in slaughter. Tens of thousands of police "saved lives" with bombs and bullets by going into an area, spraying it with gunfire and killing at will.
To make a massacre in Armutlu appear legitimate and excusable, there was no pretext and excuse that they did not resort to. They are coming up with lies.
They made blood flow in Armutlu and their lies will collapse over their heads. The truth is this:
WHAT THEY DID WAS CARRY OUT A MASSACRE!
Sultan Yildiz WAS KILLED WITH A SINGLE GUNSHOT!
"She set herself on fire" A LIE!
"She was a Death Fast resister" ALSO A LIE!
She was not inside the resistance house. While in front of it she was KILLED WITH A SINGLE GUNSHOT. The special police team took aim and fired at her, killing her with a single gunshot. She was not on the Death Fast but was a TAYAD supporter.
Baris Kas WAS KILLED WITH A SINGLE GUNSHOT!
"He set himself on fire" A LIE!
"He was a Death Fast resister" ALSO A LIE!
While outside the resistance house he was killed with A SINGLE GUNSHOT. The special police team took aim and opened fire at him. He was a friend of the prisoners and was paying a visit to the resisters.
Bulent Durgac WAS KILLED BY GUNSHOTS!
"He set himself on fire" A LIE!
"He was a Death Fast resister" ALSO A LIE.
He was not inside the resistance house, he was outside it. He did not burn himself but was killed by bullets. He was a former prisoner and participant in the 1996 Death Fast who was left handicapped. He was released two weeks ago and was paying a visit to the Armutlu resisters.
Arzu Guler WAS KILLED BY THE POISON FROM GAS BOMBS!
She was the only Death Fast resister among those killed. Arzu Guler was on the 152nd day of the Death Fast, in the last days her situation had worsened somewhat. She also did not die as a result of setting herself on fire but as a result of POISONING caused by gas bombs.
Haydar Bozkurt SET HIMSELF ON FIRE AND WAS THEN SHOT!
He was the only resister who attempted to sacrifice himself. Haydar Bozkurt was outside the house and made a protest against the attack, going out onto the street above and setting fire to himself, which was shown on TV screens, and when he was on fire the murderers threw stones and roof tiles at him and then OPENED FIRE. This scene was played out in front of the media and the people of Armutlu also witnessed it. We appeal to the newspapers to write the truth as they really saw it and to the TV to show the people the truth.
A human being who set himself on fire was then SHOT. Now, his body burned and with gunshot injuries, he is in Istinye State Hospital. (Note: since the original of this statement was issued, Haydar Bozkurt has died in hospital.)
THE SERIOUSLY WOUNDED who are in hospital now WERE WOUNDED BY GUNSHOTS!
All the wounded are in hospital. Those who wish can go and see them. All of them are wounded with gunshots. Many are badly injured. It is possible that new deaths will be announced at any moment.
Shamelessly, the media is trying to conceal the truth by claiming that "the police fired into the air". But if shots were fired into the air, how were these people wounded?
TV screens also showed how the wounded were brought to hospital. They were made to wait for a long time and dragged along the ground. The emaciated arms and legs of Death Fasters were seized without any care. The inhuman savagery of this was visible to all.
No excuse can explain away the massacre. It is a lie that the resisters OPENED FIRE. The resisters did not have a single weapon, not a single shot was fired by them. Those who maintain that they did are lying.
THEY (THE STATE) CAME TO CARRY OUT A MASSACRE AND THEY DID!
Three thousand murderers entered Armutlu from three directions and opened fire on the resistance house, sometimes taking aim, sometimes at random.
Just like the Israeli butchers of the Palestinians, carrying out repression against villages, just like an army of occupation on enemy soil, the armoured cars started fires and cut the electricity and telephone lines. The Zionist murderers in Palestine have done exactly the same, demolishing houses. The resistance house was also burned down and destroyed.
They fired bullets and threw bombs while shouting "Surrender!"
Who and why did they want them to surrender? After all there was no-one in the house who was "wanted" by the police. There was no action doing harm to those in the house or others.
Those in Armutlu were using their right to resist. The pro-American government and the servants of the IMF were there to destroy the right to resist. Thousands of police, thousands of bullets, thousands of bombs were there to oppose the people's right to resist. This is why they started fires and fired their guns.
THIS MASSACRE WILL NOT END THE RESISTANCE BUT THE MURDERERS WILL BE FINISHED!
In order to intimidate the people, the murderers killed resisters, showing the same lack of restraint on display on December 19th 2000 and also at Akkise. On December 19, "to save the death fasters", the state went in and killed 28 prisoners, some of them on the Death Fast and many not on it.
The Armutlu massacre was a second December 19 . The Armutlu massacre like December 19 and Akkise was again the use of a policy of threats and murderous intimidation. Because they did not break the resistance, the murderers were exposed before the whole world, their own lies collapsed in upon them, they wanted to create a transitory terror and silence, for the anger of the people was growing. This is why massacres aimed at intimidation continue.
For 30 years they have made our blood flow. Starting on October 20, 2000, more than a year of resistance has gone on, and Armutlu has shown how resolute it is. They can kill us but not defeat us or silence us.
This is our appeal to all in this country who say they are against massacres, torture, tyranny and oppression!
COME TO ARMUTLU, COME TO THE HOSPITALS! What is different from December 19 is that the people witnessed the massacre, newspaper journalists witnessed it. Nobody can conceal the gunshot wounds on the dead and the wounded. The authorities and the murderers will not be able to save themselves with ""they set themselves on fire". The Armutlu people, the resisters, those in hospital are witnesses.
To learn the truth, to oppose tyranny and oppression, come to Armutlu and listen to the people and the resisters in the hospitals. Be on the side of those who were attacked. And curse the murderers, wherever they are and whatever form they take.
THE TAYAD FAMILIES
Statement No. 2
"The Death Fast is in its fourth season...79 MARTYRS.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRISONS AND OUTSIDE THE PRISONS.
THE WHOLE OF TURKEY IS LIKE THE F-TYPE PRISONS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO RESIST!"
November 6, 2001 No: 413
A SECOND MASSACRE OF "DECEMBER 19" WAS CARRIED OUT IN KUCUKARMUTLU
DOZENS DETAINED - DOZENS INJURED
Our resistance, which has been continuing more than a year, is also continuing to disturb the Turkish state. The state brought out their ongoing torture and massacres inside the prisons outside and carried out a new December 19 massacre in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Kucukarmutlu.
Tens of our relatives and friends were detained and taken to Istanbul Police HQ's torture chambers. Four of our friends were massacred with CS gas, bombs and bullets.
The state was not satisfied with the Kucukarmutlu massacre and self-evidently proved its tyrannical nature by terrorising people in Ankara and Istanbul's Beyazit square. The police attacked with gas bombs and truncheons against the people, mainly students, who gathered to protest against the YOK (Institution of Higher Education - the state's mechanism for controlling universities) and detained hundreds of them.
Also the Ankara offices of Yasadigimiz VATAN magazine (a widely distributed legal left-wing publication) and The Bulletin of TAYAD Families and Ankara Idilcan Cultural Centre were arbitrarily raided and the workers in these institutions were detained.
The houses of 10 TAYAD members were also raided in the early hours of November 6, they were detained and taken to Ankara's torture centres.
A TAYAD member, Arzu Guler , who was on her 152nd day of Death Fast action, another TAYAD member Sultan Yildiz , a former political prisoner, Bulent Durgac , who participated in 1996 Death Fast resistance and Baris Kas who were visiting the resistance house at the time were murdered by police gunshots.
One of the Death Fast resisters, Haydar Bozkurt , who announced weeks ago that in case of an attack he will sacrifice himself, kept his word during the attack and were taken critically injured to Sisli Etfal hospital. His situation is critical. (Note: Haydar Bozkurt lost his life two days after the original statement was issued.)
Another resisting political prisoner from Tekirdag F-type prison Erkan Yirdem , lost consciousness due to hypotension when he was informed about the Armutlu massacre, he was taken to hospital and subjected to forcible medical intervention. He has still not regained consciousness and is held in Tekirdag state hospital.
In order to protest the Armutlu massacre, political prisoners, Kemal Ayhan and Nail Cavus (Tekirdag F-type prison), Eyup Samur (Kandira F-type prison) and Muharrem Cetinkaya (Sincan F-type prison) sacrificed themselves by setting their bodies alight. They were badly injured and taken to hospital. Their situation is critical.
The head and back of one of the injured Armutlu detainees, Hakki Simsek are burnt partially. Sinan Tokuc , Ahmet Guzel and Eylem Goktas were burnt by the police's firebombs and taken to hospital. Halil Aksu , who was currently on Death Fast in Kucukarmutlu, is continuing his action in hospital. Another Death Fast resister, Dursun Ali Pekin was in shock because of beatings and has currently lost his memory. Guzin Tolga , Zeki Dogru and Death Fast resister Nurgul Kayapinar were severely beaten and taken to hospital.
Turkey's most oppressive and murderous government is on duty today. We have been repressed and humiliated for years. No matter what it costs, we will continue to resist this regime which tries to trample upon us and silence us through arbitrary detentions, economic policies targeting at crushing the people's welfare, such as the decisions of April 5, Emergency Law status, extra-judicial executions and "restriction" laws.
Our power comes from our resisting sons and daughters and our belief in our rightness. In a place where tyranny exists, naturally resistance exists too.
We invite all those who are oppressed, humiliated and exploited to support our struggle for a decent life.
We will win!
Long Live Our Death Fast Resistance!
TAYAD Families
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