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KESKIN: "THE CAMPAIGN IS MANIPULATED"
Ayse Durukan
BİA, Turkey
June 8 2006
Istanbul - Human Rights Association (HD) Istanbul branch former chair
Eren Keskin held a press conference this week in relation to the
"violet condemnation" of her by 20 women organisations through public
advertisements in the Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet newspapers.
During the conference and a subsequent exclusive interview with Bianet,
Keskin said she did not believe the text of the advert was from the
women organisations themselves adding that the attack against her
person appeared to stem from a single source. She also recalled that
after similar kinds of public criticism, former chairman of the IHD
Akin Birdal was shot in an assassination attempt.
IHD chairman Yusuf Alatas, IHD Istanbul Branch chair Hurriyet Sener
and Derya Demirtas and Feray Salman of the Network of Solidarity with
Eren Keskin accompanied Keskin at her conference.
Keskin: I invite them to act with responsibility
"It is an extremely painful situation for a woman or women
organisations to issue an advertisement inviting violence" Keskin said.
"It is sad for a women to do this to a woman. Those who identify
themselves as feminists should first stand up against militarism. If
they are not doing this, they should then ask themselves how much of
women rights defenders they are".
Keskin invited those who issued the adverts against her to act with
responsibility and asked "after this advertisement, if some people
come up and take their own initiative, are they then going to feel
responsible to this?"
Interview with Keskin
Following her press conference, Keskin was interviewed by Bianet
asked and replied to various questions pertaining to the situation.
You are a woman, so are they. Why are they attacking you?
"I do not believe this attack directed at me is has been writer by
the women organisations. I believe it stems from the same place. I
have been receiving threats for years. I am one of the persons who
the Chief of General Staff has filed a [criminal] complaint against.
I believe this text is not very independent.
"Because in relation to this incident, to the speech, while Necla
Arat filed a criminal complaint they did it together with the Chief
of General Staff. Arat testified against me at court".
What does being a persona non grata mean?
"For instance, I would immediately rush to an injustice inflicted
on a Kemalist woman. I would not think she is a Kemalist. If I
did, I would not be a women's rights advocate. They, on the other
hand, do not approach it in this way. In my view what determines
them primarily is their Kemalist identity. Their other identities
come after that. This is where the problem is. To me this is really
painful. They have declared me a persona non grata, they are condemning
me 'violently'. As it is, declaring someone as persona non grata
means getting rid of them.
"Because, in the year 98, such articles, advertisements came out
against Akin Birdal and a short while later Akin Birdal was shot.
Because of this I invite them to rethink this. Will they be able to
get out from under such a responsibility? There are people in this
society who could read this advertisement and act in rage".
Are you being protected?
"No I am not protected."
Have you applied for protection?
"No. But in the year 1999, at the time [outlawed Kurdistan Workers
Party leader] Abdullah Ocalan was brought [to Turkey], I was one of
his lawyers. At that time Osman Baydemir and I were receiving a lot
of threats. The state proposed to give us protection. At that time we
rejected this. They have to protect us anyway. This is their duty. I
did not see it necessary to constantly go around with policemen. "
One of the accusations against you is that you are with the PKK. Are
you a member of the PKK?
"Of course I am not. I am an advocate of human rights. Other than this,
in every speech I made I have voiced that violence is not a solution
to the Kurdish problem, that the time of armed struggle in the world
had passed by, that violence strengthened militarism. I have never
been a member of any organisation but I am a lawyer of PKK cases. I
have acted as attorney to them and to various Kurdish and socialist
circles. I have also acted as attorney to Abdullah Ocalan.
These are separate things.
"This is my profession. I am a lawyer who attends political trials. I
also defend a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem and even the
right of the Kurdish people to determine their own fate. I voice this
everywhere. In any case it is the easiest thing to declare you as a PKK
member when you say anything against the red points of militarism. A
very easy method."
You said that women should review their policies on issues such as
the Cyprus question and other issues. Do you think it is easy for
women to conduct politics?
"Women live through all forms of oppression with double the impact.
Their fronts are closed. They cannot go out on the street. Not every
woman is like us. If she does not have economic freedom, how will she
conduct politics? I believe that an antimilitarist policy is necessary
and that this can only be achieved by antimilitarist feminists and
homosexuals. Because in my view these are sections that are totally
void of any prejudice. I do not even believe socialists are void
of prejudice."
Does prejudice increase pressure?
"Prejudice and those prejudiced against are being distanced. I
think those who face prejudice are the ones who most understand what
militarism is pressing upon them. In my view militarism is not on
the agenda of many organisations in Turkey who see their place in
the opposition front."
Currently there are debates on new human rights, women rights,
children rights. What do you think about these?
"Of course international law has made some gains. We cannot deny
this. But I believe that the international law system is extremely
dominated by men and is militarist.
"If one needs to cite an example, thousands of women following World
War I and World War II were raped as it happens during all wars. But
the Tokyo and Nurenburg trials did not accept that rape was a war
crime. Whereas after the clashes Bosnia and Ruanda, as result of the
struggle of the women there, it was regarded as a war crime.
"Still the Convention on Immigrant Rights does not accept violence
against women as a single reason for asylum.
"Or conscientious objection. It is still not given as a duty for
state by international law. It is only in the Copenhagen criteria
and with an open end. In other words, these show that international
law is dominated by men and is militarist throughout the world. These
examples show this openly.
What lies behind the attack on you by woman organisations that identify
themselves as feminist?
"First of all, in feminism, feminists must definitely be
antimilitarist... Feminists also stand up against racism, chauvinism,
capitalism, the effects of these on women and to all other forms of
influences and pressures. This is what I see as feminism.
"But unfortunately in Turkey the official ideology is always that of
a Turkish style feminism. A Turkish style environmentalism. A Turkish
style socialism. In other words it always gets caught somewhere at
one point. Not just for women. Because of this I believe those who
identify themselves as feminist and those who say the are advocates of
women rights should oppose all of those red points that are created
by militarism. For instance the Cyprus issue, the Armenian genocide,
the Kurdish issue. In other words, I believe they need to re-evaluate
themselves on all issues.
--Boundary_(ID_tLhOcvM+4B6ZdPfNd9VHSQ)--
Ayse Durukan
BİA, Turkey
June 8 2006
Istanbul - Human Rights Association (HD) Istanbul branch former chair
Eren Keskin held a press conference this week in relation to the
"violet condemnation" of her by 20 women organisations through public
advertisements in the Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet newspapers.
During the conference and a subsequent exclusive interview with Bianet,
Keskin said she did not believe the text of the advert was from the
women organisations themselves adding that the attack against her
person appeared to stem from a single source. She also recalled that
after similar kinds of public criticism, former chairman of the IHD
Akin Birdal was shot in an assassination attempt.
IHD chairman Yusuf Alatas, IHD Istanbul Branch chair Hurriyet Sener
and Derya Demirtas and Feray Salman of the Network of Solidarity with
Eren Keskin accompanied Keskin at her conference.
Keskin: I invite them to act with responsibility
"It is an extremely painful situation for a woman or women
organisations to issue an advertisement inviting violence" Keskin said.
"It is sad for a women to do this to a woman. Those who identify
themselves as feminists should first stand up against militarism. If
they are not doing this, they should then ask themselves how much of
women rights defenders they are".
Keskin invited those who issued the adverts against her to act with
responsibility and asked "after this advertisement, if some people
come up and take their own initiative, are they then going to feel
responsible to this?"
Interview with Keskin
Following her press conference, Keskin was interviewed by Bianet
asked and replied to various questions pertaining to the situation.
You are a woman, so are they. Why are they attacking you?
"I do not believe this attack directed at me is has been writer by
the women organisations. I believe it stems from the same place. I
have been receiving threats for years. I am one of the persons who
the Chief of General Staff has filed a [criminal] complaint against.
I believe this text is not very independent.
"Because in relation to this incident, to the speech, while Necla
Arat filed a criminal complaint they did it together with the Chief
of General Staff. Arat testified against me at court".
What does being a persona non grata mean?
"For instance, I would immediately rush to an injustice inflicted
on a Kemalist woman. I would not think she is a Kemalist. If I
did, I would not be a women's rights advocate. They, on the other
hand, do not approach it in this way. In my view what determines
them primarily is their Kemalist identity. Their other identities
come after that. This is where the problem is. To me this is really
painful. They have declared me a persona non grata, they are condemning
me 'violently'. As it is, declaring someone as persona non grata
means getting rid of them.
"Because, in the year 98, such articles, advertisements came out
against Akin Birdal and a short while later Akin Birdal was shot.
Because of this I invite them to rethink this. Will they be able to
get out from under such a responsibility? There are people in this
society who could read this advertisement and act in rage".
Are you being protected?
"No I am not protected."
Have you applied for protection?
"No. But in the year 1999, at the time [outlawed Kurdistan Workers
Party leader] Abdullah Ocalan was brought [to Turkey], I was one of
his lawyers. At that time Osman Baydemir and I were receiving a lot
of threats. The state proposed to give us protection. At that time we
rejected this. They have to protect us anyway. This is their duty. I
did not see it necessary to constantly go around with policemen. "
One of the accusations against you is that you are with the PKK. Are
you a member of the PKK?
"Of course I am not. I am an advocate of human rights. Other than this,
in every speech I made I have voiced that violence is not a solution
to the Kurdish problem, that the time of armed struggle in the world
had passed by, that violence strengthened militarism. I have never
been a member of any organisation but I am a lawyer of PKK cases. I
have acted as attorney to them and to various Kurdish and socialist
circles. I have also acted as attorney to Abdullah Ocalan.
These are separate things.
"This is my profession. I am a lawyer who attends political trials. I
also defend a democratic solution to the Kurdish problem and even the
right of the Kurdish people to determine their own fate. I voice this
everywhere. In any case it is the easiest thing to declare you as a PKK
member when you say anything against the red points of militarism. A
very easy method."
You said that women should review their policies on issues such as
the Cyprus question and other issues. Do you think it is easy for
women to conduct politics?
"Women live through all forms of oppression with double the impact.
Their fronts are closed. They cannot go out on the street. Not every
woman is like us. If she does not have economic freedom, how will she
conduct politics? I believe that an antimilitarist policy is necessary
and that this can only be achieved by antimilitarist feminists and
homosexuals. Because in my view these are sections that are totally
void of any prejudice. I do not even believe socialists are void
of prejudice."
Does prejudice increase pressure?
"Prejudice and those prejudiced against are being distanced. I
think those who face prejudice are the ones who most understand what
militarism is pressing upon them. In my view militarism is not on
the agenda of many organisations in Turkey who see their place in
the opposition front."
Currently there are debates on new human rights, women rights,
children rights. What do you think about these?
"Of course international law has made some gains. We cannot deny
this. But I believe that the international law system is extremely
dominated by men and is militarist.
"If one needs to cite an example, thousands of women following World
War I and World War II were raped as it happens during all wars. But
the Tokyo and Nurenburg trials did not accept that rape was a war
crime. Whereas after the clashes Bosnia and Ruanda, as result of the
struggle of the women there, it was regarded as a war crime.
"Still the Convention on Immigrant Rights does not accept violence
against women as a single reason for asylum.
"Or conscientious objection. It is still not given as a duty for
state by international law. It is only in the Copenhagen criteria
and with an open end. In other words, these show that international
law is dominated by men and is militarist throughout the world. These
examples show this openly.
What lies behind the attack on you by woman organisations that identify
themselves as feminist?
"First of all, in feminism, feminists must definitely be
antimilitarist... Feminists also stand up against racism, chauvinism,
capitalism, the effects of these on women and to all other forms of
influences and pressures. This is what I see as feminism.
"But unfortunately in Turkey the official ideology is always that of
a Turkish style feminism. A Turkish style environmentalism. A Turkish
style socialism. In other words it always gets caught somewhere at
one point. Not just for women. Because of this I believe those who
identify themselves as feminist and those who say the are advocates of
women rights should oppose all of those red points that are created
by militarism. For instance the Cyprus issue, the Armenian genocide,
the Kurdish issue. In other words, I believe they need to re-evaluate
themselves on all issues.
--Boundary_(ID_tLhOcvM+4B6ZdPfNd9VHSQ)--