13/02/2010
Our friend Pınar Selek, who is a sociologist, a feminist, peace activist and a writer, has, for the past 12 years, unjustly been blamed for the explosion in the Spice Bazaar. Although she has already been acquitted twice, the acquittal was unjustly reversed by the Criminal Department number 9 of the Supreme Court in March 2009. The objection of the Supreme Court’s Head Prosecution Office against the decision of Criminal Department number 9 was rejected with a majority of votes in the Supreme Court Criminal General Assembly last week. And we are, after all these years, still waiting for justice, despite all these court sentences and in the face of all that has happened.
No more do we need to say that, "We are witness to Pınar Selek." Because today, that entire she has done in the name of equality, freedom, peace and justice is known not only in Turkey, but throughout the world. Those who have witnessed the process of her case and her acquittal in court rooms are still continuing this act of witnessing. And day by day the number of these witnesses is growing.  However, another fact known both in Turkey and world-wide is that the establishment of justice in Turkey is a very difficult task; and that many endeavors mostly either fail or end in great suffering. At this point, Pınar’s rightfulness is quite obvious; and we all are in need of justice for the sake of a fairer and more peaceful Turkey. One of the first and most significant steps on this path would and will be the pronouncement of Pınar Selek‘s public and final acquittal.
At this point, it will be useful to take another look at all the unjust points that have been burned forever into our memories, in this case. In this case which we have been witnessing for all these years and in which each and every allegation has been disproved one by one…
First of all, the real cause of the explosion, which is obviously a very significant point in the serving of justice, was deliberately ignored by some authorities. Many experts kept saying over and over again that “the explosion was caused by a gas leakage and not by a bomb.” For some reason or other, the Criminal Court did not want to hear about the reports of the experts. This being the case, for years we have been confused as to what we should protest and revolt against? Should it be against the Criminal Court, whose decision was in complete opposition to the reports of the experts? Or should it be against the injustice that a social scientist has been subjected to by continuously being accused, although her innocence has been proven by the reports of experts?

Let us come to the other point: The explosion was not caused by a bomb. However, whatever the source of this explosion may have been, what does it have to do with Pınar Selek? Pınar wasn’t asked any questions at all about the explosion while she was being interrogated; later on, however, all of a sudden an alleged criminal was made to appear and, through him, Pınar was accused of this crime. This person was the defendant, Abdülmecit Öztürk, who later on confessed that he had given his statement “under pressure and aggravated torture”... Öztürk first said, under pressure, that they had committed the act together with Pınar; and then explained over and over again that he “did not even know Pınar Selek”. All the questions we have been asking for years still remain unanswered: How can the record of testimony, denied by Öztürk himself due to its having been taken under pressure - which has by now turned into a major legal scandal - possibly be accepted even though it hasn’t been supported by any findings or criminal evidence whatsoever? Moreover, how can Pınar Selek, who hasn’t ever even made as much as one statement about the explosion, and who has been acquitted from this case, be accused over and ov