A Personal Story from Turkey: I am a “Man of Law” Not a Terrorist!


Date posted: August 3, 2016

Muhammet Cakir

I am a lawyer who had to flee Turkey after the infamous coup attempt and Erdogan regime’s purge on media, academics and civil society . I am man of law but according to President Erdogan I am a “terrorist” who attempted for a coup!

I am writing this letter from a city in Eastern Europe as I had to run away from persecution. Just after my departure  on 22 July, Turkish police arrived at my house but could not find me. Instead, with the intention to bring me out they have decided to detain my mother who is 86 years old and can barely walk. But how come a country came to this point? Let me briefly tell my story.

While I was working as a lawyer in 2007 at my home town Antakya, a Turkish city at the border of Syria, I have established a charity (Altin Insan) with my local friends to help the needy people. With the donations we have raised the charity was able to provide scholarship for the poor children, food and accommodation for those in need and organise social and sportive activities. We were also helping the Syrian refugees during last 4 years and feeling well self-satisfied with dignity as I was part of an action which promoted sharing, helping and making the life better for the others.

Beside this altruistic work, I was also an activist in my professional field and have pursuing to advocate for a new and civic constitution with my lawyer friends through an NGO called “Denge Law and Thought”. We had written a framework on the constitution and presented to the president of Turkish Grand National Assembly. Meanwhile in the local level we have promoted the women and children rights through seminars ,school visits and others activities to create awareness on fundamental rights and liberties, and providing guidance to the public how they can defend their basic rights.  Off course, I should not forget to mention the newspaper IRADE (The Willpower) which was born and grown up in our hands to provide local and independent news to the people of Antakya.

The life was beautiful until mid 2012 as the symptoms of authoritarianism showed its cold face during the Gezi Park protest. And it became like a hell especially right after the corruption scandal in December 2013. Since then, during last two and half years “You are either from us or against us” mentality surrounded the country. We have appalled  that newspapers and TV stations confiscated by the police force in Turkey and just because people affiliated with Gulen Movement their schools, social enterprises and businesses were subject to a “witch hunt” by Erdogan’s government. The donations for the humanitarian work were counted as “supporting the terrorism” and confiscating the property of Gulen Movement supporters were right thing to dry up the financial sources of “terrorist organization” and the media outlets must be taken over by force or closed down for the reason of so-called terror organization cannot have media.

My law firm was defending the victims in Antakya who were suspended or forced to retire in public service or small businessmen who lost their life savings with a simple appointment of administrator by the government. In fact, Turkey was under the “state of emergency” for a long time but it was officially announced by the president Erdogan aftermath of the “God gift” failed coup to “clean up the state”.

The scale of the purge is massive as more than hundreds of thousands people affected. Some have been arrested or detained others lost their jobs, their children are out of the university or school as the government closed down 935 school and 15 universities. My wife is one of the passionate teacher who is also out of job now, thanks to the  minister of education who fired 42 thousand teacher from public sector but not only that cancelled the license of 21 thousand of teachers in private sector. I would be the prisoner, if I had stayed in Turkey that I could be detained up to 30 days without seeing the judge and God knows how long it would to take my freedom back in a such dicta regime. But detaining my 86 years old mother was not a job of a dictatorship it is pure an act of mafia! The trauma that people of Turkey has been going through is indescribable, I am sure there are people worse than my situation but simply I just want to ask that what would be the feeling of the children whose both parents are either in prison or out of job, how long can the families survive? So, Erdogan is man of his word as he had said in 2014 “there is no water for them (Gulen community)”!

Along side, my newspaper closed down and circulated copies have been collected, my law firm has been locked down by the authorities and my staff have now became unemployed. The charity (Altin Insan) which was helping the people in need and Denge Law & Thought Association were among the 1125 which was closed down last week.

Finally, as a lawyer, I always fought for the rule of law, liberties and I am strongly against any military intervention to the democratically elected government even if I have so many reason to be against the government policies. What we experiences in Turkey today is no any differences if the coup was successful. Our dream was Turkey to became fully functioning democratic country, member of European Union, I did not dream a country where European Human Rights Convention is suspended, torture becomes a norm and hundred thousands of lives thorn apart…

Source: Vocal Europe , August 2, 2016


Related News

Hypocrisy in languages: criticizing Fethullah Gülen, English or Turkish?

Abdulhamid Türker* Fethullah Gülen has been the subject of several books and hundreds of articles, in many languages. Some of these books and articles are very critical of Gülen and the Gülen movement (also known as Hizmet movement). If someone wants to understand who Gülen is, the first thing this person would do is to […]

Extradite Gülen? Really?

Enter the current coup plot. Erdogan literally has blamed every obstacle, fanciful plot, and malfeasance upon the elderly cleric. He fingered him in last Friday’s attempted coup even before the smoke settled. Increasingly, it seems the Obama administration might actually take the Turkish president seriously.

Coup Commission members: Now is similar to Feb. 28 coup period

Members of the parliamentary Coup and Memorandum Investigation Commission, set up to investigate past coups, have said a number of anti-democratic moves begun after the launch of a wide-reaching corruption investigation, including the removal of thousands of civil servants and discrimination against members of a faith-based group, have said the practices are similar to what occurred in the run-up to the Feb. 28, 1997 unarmed coup.

German intel expert says, based on CIA, BND reports, Erdoğan was behind failed coup

German intelligence expert and author Erich Schmidt-Eenboom has said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, not the faith-based Gülen movement, was behind a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016 based on intelligence reports from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND).

France sentences attacker targeting Gulenists as Turkey releases gunman in similar case

A 28-year-old man of Turkish origin has been handed down a prison sentence of eight months and a fine of 23,000 euros by a French court after he attacked several institutions affiliated with the faith-based Gülen movement in the country.

Abant tackles contentious issue of drafting new constitution

9 March 2012 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL As this year’s Abant Platform tackles the pressing issue of shaping Turkey’s new constitution, a wide spectrum of intellectuals, lawyers, political leaders and journalists are discussing the problematic areas of, and proposing solutions to, the constitutional drafting process. “Deliberations should continue with the spirit of respecting each other’s […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

All colors gather in Turkey to pay last tributes to Vatican official Msgr. Marovitch

The gov’t in Turkey is committing genocide

Gülen appeals for steadfastness against gov’t ban on prep schools [in Turkey]

Fethullah Gulen sends his condolences to victims of Boston bombings

Gülen speaks to Kurdish paper, renews his support for education in mother tongue

Gülen’s lawyer files libel suit against Interior Minister Ala

Van NGOs: Calling Hizmet movement ‘virus’ and ‘hashhashin’ unnaceptable

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News