DİYARBAKIR - Zeynep Altınkaynak, activist of the KJA closed down by an emergency decree, commented on the content of the indictment prepared for jailing her and political process in Turkey, “The life of an ‘avalanche’ is like the life of a cry,” said Zeynep.

 

On June 14, an operation launched against members and administrators of the KJA (Free Women's Congress), DTK (Democratic Society Congress), DBP (Democratic Regions Party), HDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) and HDK (Peoples’ Democratic Congress) within the scope of investigation opened by Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and many people were taken into custody. 21 of the detained people were taken to Courthouse of Diyarbakır province and then many were jailed. Kurdish politicians as well as leading activists of the women's struggle were among the jailed people. Those presented as 'evidence' in the case file were as different as to be described as 'tragicomic'. KJA activist Zeynep Altınkaynak is one of those absurd phrases used against them in the case file. 

 

Zeynep, an activist of closed KJA and Zehra Doğan, an editor of closed JINHA Women’s News Agency, had a warm talk about the case file and political process in Turkey in Diyarbakır E-type Prison.

 

*Before I was jailed, I had been frequently taken into custody and arrested. Let’s first talk about women and their ‘situation’ in prisons…

 

My case file is like you do not know whether to laugh or cry. The day I was taken into custody, I knew that the women’s struggle was tried not myself. The association which we opened in accordance with the laws of this state, in the direction of the negotiations with the governor, with charter, the administrative board is now being handled as a "criminal organization". KJA was closed down by an emergency decree not by a special investigation like many associations and foundations. But in case files, they act as if America is being rediscovered. Women's presence in the public spaces, political expansion in politics, gained rights ... We know these keep some people up at nights.  But they will continue to lose their sleep. The seeking for women’s freedom and right struggle didn’t start with an association and it will not end with it. Turkey is now violating the contacts that it is a party now. 

 

‘A farcical organization schema is drawn’

 

The details of the files are even more lamentable… Each talk is evaluated as a code and each request is evaluated as an instruction. The people, who know how Kurdish language is, know that as Kurds we don’t know much about using interrogative particle. We form questions by emphasizing the words. This becomes the state of emergency. They write, “She is quite authorized to impose.” If they wrote ‘unkind’, it would be more realistic.  A farcical organization schema is drawn. My name is on the top and at the bottom of the hierarchy. I both founded the organization and governed it. If the person on the top is me, who is at the bottom? If the person at the bottom is me, who is on the top? I guess the court board will answer this pure question on December 6. 

 

*Every city I visited is evaluated as the space for organizational activities I carried out. What is your thought on that?

 

I have faced with a file that is quite exaggerated. The prosecutor exaggerated me while preparing the indictment. He/she introduces me as responsible for Mardin, Diyarbakır as well as for Istanbul. Hereby, we learn that we have to take permission to visit cities. KJA is an association its headquarters is in Diyarbakır and carried out its works through its members of the board of directors and members of the association in Turkey. We didn’t hide this from the public opinion. They reveal this once again in the indictment. 

 

Last words…

 

Of course this situation is not a personal situation. There are thousands of cases like this; thousands of Kurdish women are now jailed and tried. But as women, we will continue to be defenders for rights and freedom under all conditions. We have difficult and troublesome days, months and years. There is a sentence that I love so much; I would like to repeat it: The life of an ‘avalanche’ is like the life of a cry.”