Etha: A letter from a detainee of the Armutlu resistance

Sevinç Dok, who was detained during the Armutlu resistance, which lasted for several days, told her experience in the prison in a letter that she sent. Dok stated that the detainees are getting the news. “Our minds are at peace, we know that we have been falsely accused.” She adds, “we are not giving up eating the bread until its last bit and laughing hard.”

Dok was detained on July 22 after police raided her house. On July 25 the Adana High Criminal Court decided to arrest Dok together with 13 friends. She sent a letter from the Karataş Women’s Prison.

Dok’s letter dated July 28 reads as follows:

“After a 72-hours long custody at Antakya police headquarters, during which we were subjected to illegal and inhuman treatment, we were taken to Adana courthouse. There, the ensuing C1 procedures showed us that a scenario based on false accusations could be written. Illegal treatment continued in the Karataş Women’s Prison. The guardians (the institution wants us to call them officers) attempted to embark upon a strip search but we prevented this arbitrary treatment by resisting.

The observation room that we passed through yesterday demonstrated the irrationality of the prison system. At least, this experience showed us in plain reality the illegal procedures depicted in books and movies. It is a room 5 steps in length and 3 steps in width. There is a window , 40 centimeters in length and 20 in width, with a grid.

I ate, slept, and excreted in the same room! I was taken here after 98-hours of “torture,” during which I longed for seeing human faces. I found pen and paper after days and I had access to books, newspapers, and magazines for the first time.

This is another world… There is a communal life here. The bonds of sisterhood is getting stronger. The closely-knit stance of women gives one confidence. I experienced the happiness of having a good night sleep after long days.

There are 12 women. All of them are here based on unfounded reasons. There is a 70-years old woman here. Do you know why she has been prosecuted? For visiting his son. Another woman is Aunt Feride. She has cancer. She is here for a similar reason. Then, there are the young women. Their looks are filled with hope and conviction. The love of love in their eyes strengthens our daily smiles.

Dear comrades, there is more to say, but we are going through a process where the words are insufficient. We are getting the news about what is going on in Antakya. Our minds are in peace. We know that the accusations will prove to be false.

We are doing fine here.  We are not giving up eating the bread until its last bit and laughing hard.

Red greetings…”

Sevinç Dok
8 August 2013

Source: www.etha.com.tr

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