01 April 2023

Life's numbers are sometimes harder than math. The numbers of life are sometimes embarrassing.

Zero crime, 25 years, 4 acquittals equals Pınar Selek case. 25 years, 4 acquittals and a torture based on overturning acquittals every time.

Words are sometimes ashamed. They turned an explosion caused by a gas leak into a bomb. They tried to attach an antimilitarist, anti-violence, feminist sociologist, an activist who stands in the middle of life and multiplies love, to the conspiracy they called a bomb. Archaic testimonies without a lawyer and false evidence have been debunked for years. One truth was declared four times. Now, as if we had spoken to a wall, the same verdict is before us after 25 years. And here we are again.

Look, there is also a large delegation here today with whom Pınar's life intersected, who have traveled long distances to stand in solidarity with her and with us. MPs, deputy mayors, academics, feminists, writers, artists, scientists are with us in solidarity. Of course, we are exactly where we should be. We are here to make Pınar, who fits the whole world in her heart, fit in her country too.

We know very well what Pınar's crime is. She is guilty for giving the opportunity to express herself directly to all those whose voices are suppressed and rendered invisible by state politics.

She is guilty for asking why we couldn't make peace, for touching on issues ranging from women's rights to the LGBTI+ movement, from Kurdish and Armenian issues to street children and immigration policies. She is guilty for bringing them together and uniting them. We are here to celebrate all that she is guilty of.

When we set out as the We Are Still Witness Platform, we did not anticipate how this name would turn into a black humor. We were witnesses to Pınar's work, to her personality, to her existence that weaves webs and multiplies us all. But then we found ourselves witnesses to this legal murder. Being a witness is a responsibility. We are here to fulfill that responsibility once again.

In this period of twenty-five years, which coincides with Turkey's recent history, we have struggled against enforced disappearances, bombings, unsolved assassinations, and those unjustly held hostage in prison. When the law did not manifest itself in courtrooms, when fundamental rights were violated, we sought justice together on the streets, in squares, in crowded meeting halls. We held on to each other, we drew strength from each other. This acquittal is our honor. Pınar Selek is our pride. We are here for this.

We are here for the sake of simple arithmetic operations. We are the addition in the operations of addition and subtraction. They will not subtract Pınar from us and justice from Pınar. We will multiply by adding to each other for a lifetime. We are the multiplication in the operations of multiplication and division. They will not divide us. Our strength will multiply by multiplying our will.

We cherish this acquittal. It is also our dream of a just, free and equal life and country. This acquittal is our common struggle. This is where the arithmetic ends. We are asking for accountability for life. We are demanding accountability for the truth. And of course we will win.

We Are Still Witness Platform