İSTANBUL - HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu pointed out that only the brands and the colour of the cars chaged in the kidnappings since the 90's and said that a social reflex must be developed against the kidnappings.

 

Although the images of the abduction are reflected on cameras, Gökhan Güneş, who was kidnapped by alleged police officers while he was on the bus in Başakşehir on his way to work from his home in İkitelli, Istanbul, has not been heard from since January 20. While the kidnapping and disappearance of thousands of people in the 1990's are still alive at the memories, it was noteworthy that at least 32 people were similarly abducted after the 15 July 2016 military attempt. No news has yet been received about Sunay Elmas, Ayhan Oran, Yusuf Bilge Tunç, Hüseyin Galip Küçüközyiğit and Gökhan Güneş, among those abducted.

 

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Kocaeli MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu who frequently brings the kidnappings to parliamentary agenda told that the dire portrait of kidnappings clearly shows the injustices in Turkey.

 

KIDNAPPINGS WITH WHITE TOROS

 

Stating that the kidnappings are stemmed from the lack of democracy and rule of law in Turkey, Gergerlioğlu said: "We have ebecome an anti-democratic country. Such illegal incidents happens in countries doesn't ruled by law. They become police states. Such things happens in police states. We supposedly have courts of law but people are being abducted without being processed by the police, unrecorded. We have been through this all through 90's. The government resorted to such methods to solve the Kurdish problem. We remember the white Toros cars from those days. No one thinks of the brand of the car when you say white Toros, people think of the people dissappeared."

 

WE ARE BACK TO 90'S

 

Recalling the statement saying 'Terror gangs will roam here, White Toros cars will roam here' during the time when Future Party Chair Ahmet Davutoğlu was the Prime Minister in Van back in 2015, Gergerlioğlu said: "He accepted the kidnappings with these words. It was said that they will turn back to 90's after the coup attempt. We are back there now. We are going through the same things again."

 

SOCIETY IS INTIMIDATED

 

Pointing out that the judicial mechanisms have become politicized, Gergerlioğlu drew attention to the use of abduction method instead of detention. Gergerlioğlu explained why this method was used as follows: "Firstly it is to extend the time of detention. Secondly it is an intimidation, they say that they will dissappear us if we raise our voices." 

 

INVESTIGATION AGAINST THOSE WHO PROVIDED THE FOOTAGE OF ABDUCTION 

 

 

Stating that the incident that could be solved with camera images in five minutes were not investigated for some reason, Gergerlioğlu said that no statements were made from the authorities. Underlining that the families of Gökhan Güneş took the footage themselves to the authorities but the state officials did not take it seriously because they knew Güneş was probably abducted by the state officials, Gergerlioğlu said: "Let's look into the dissappearance of Güneş. The government started an investigation against those who brought the camera footage not against those who abducted him. Which means that they do not want to find the person who was forced into dissappearance. That's why when families comes to me about a kidnapping I tell them to get to the cam footage first, before they are also dissappeared. Then apply to the international institutions."

 

THE BRAND AND THE COLOUR OF THE CAR HAS CHANGED

 

Underlining that the only thing that changed since the 90's was the brand and the colour of the car, Gergerlioğlu said: "The kidnappings are not the only crime. There is strip search, torture, battery. There is a state mind that does not accept to be questioned. People's lives are being taken with methods that shouldn't be used in a state of law."

 

A REFLEX SHOULD BE DEVELOPED

 

Underlining that the kidnappings traumatize people for years, Gergerlioğlu said: "We shouldn't discriminate about those who are kidnapped by the government. Everyone follows those who are close to themselves. No one cared about these abductions back in the 90's when it was only happening to Kurds. Now it's happening to others as well. We can't find those dissappeared if we care about whom it happened. We have to develop a common reflex."

 

 

MA / Naci Kaya