The sit in Şenyaşar family refers to as the 'Justice Watch' started by Emine Şenyaşar who lost her husband and two sons in the attack carried out by the relatives and bodyguards of AKP Urfa MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız and Ferit Şenyaşar who survived the attack wounded will enter its 250th day tomorrow. On March 9, the family started a sit-in in front of the Urfa Courthouse, demanding justice. The family demands the release of Fadıl Şenyaşar, who has been held in a solitary confinement for 3 years and 5 months in Elazığ Closed Prison. Hearing that a group of around 50-60 people attacked their shop, Şenyaşar is held responsible for the death of Mehmet Şah Yıldız, the older brother of AKP Deputy İbrahim Halil Yıldız, who came to the workplace to protect his brothers and lost his life in the brawl. However, the crime scene reports and the criminal investigation could not identify the weapon with which Yıldız was killed. It is claimed that the weapon belonging to Fadıl Şenyaşar was confiscated by Yıldız family members. Fadıl Şenyaşar was sentenced to 37 years and 9 months in prison at the hearing held in Malatya on April 2.

 

The case files were seperated into two files for the incident in the shop and the attack in the Suruç State Hospital. While Fadıl Şenyaşar was sentenced to  37 years and 9 months of imprisonment and Enver Yıldız was sentenced to 18 years, there is still a  "confidentiality" decision on the file regarding what happened in the hospital despite 3 years and 5 months have passed since the incident. The family also demands that the confidentiality decision in the file to be lifted.

 

The family has been detained 6 times during the sit in. 5 different investigations were launched against Emine Şenyaşar for 'insulting the president' and insulting the Minister of Interior and İbrahim Halil Yıldız. The first hearing against Emine Şenyaşar for insulting AKP MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız will be held today at Urfa 2nd Criminal Court of Peace. The family was also fined for carrying the pictures of their lost family members. 

 

3 SEASONS 21 THOUSAND KILOMETERS

 

Despite all the obstacles, 65-year-old Emine Şenyaşar, who continues the Justice Watch without interruption, has lost 10 kilograms since she started the sit in. The 70 percent loss of vision in the eyes of the mother Şenyaşar, whose tears did not stop for a moment during the sit in, and the discomfort in her knees were also reflected in the doctor's reports. Şenyaşar, who has difficulty seeing and walking, is on medication for a lot of health issues. Mother Şenyaşar states that she will not accept treatment for the new health issues until her son Fadıl Şenyaşar is released. The mother and son have been continuing their sit in, which they started in the spring, for 3 seasons. The family, who travels 42 kilometers from their house in Suruç district every day to come to the courthouse in Urfa. The family has traveled 21 thousand kilometers for the sake of "Justice" to this day.

 

We spoke to Emine Şenyaşar and her son Ferit Şenyaşar about their demands.

 

TWO DEMANDS

 

Reminding that the season was spring when they started the Justice Watch, Ferit Şenyaşar said it is almost winter. Expressing that they did not expect it to take this long when they started the struggle for justice, Şenyaşar said, “Because our demands were clear and unequivocal. We said that if Turkey is a state of law, the necessary action will be taken immediately and we will return to our normal lives. We started the sit in with two demands. My brother Fadil has been unlawfully detained for 3 years and 5 months. He defended himself, but was sentenced to 37 years and 9 months in prison under political pressure. His release is our most crucial demand. Our second demand is the lifting of the confidentiality order on the file regarding the massacre at the hospital. My father and my brothers were murdered in a state hospital, in front of the officers working in a state institution.

 

ARE WE NOT CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTRY?

 

Underlining that their demands are legal, Şenyaşar said, "Instead of meeting our demands, the prosecutors have been trying to end our sit in.They tried everything to remove us from here. We have been unlawfully detained many times. A lawsuit was filed against my mother because of what she said while she was crying. The prosecutor's name is on the door of his room in the courthouse, but he has not been inside for 4 months. He's on indefinite leave. When we enter the courthouse, the attorney general runs away from the back door of the building. Why does no one care about us? Aren't we citizens of this country? They should resign if they don't want to do their jobs. We continue the sit in with the support of the people. We have hope. We have been sitting here for 8 months. We will not lose hope even though the authorities haven't taken any action yet."

 

YILDIZ CONFESSED

 

Reminding that Pınar Yıldız, wife of AKP MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız, who called the television program they attended in the past months, Şenyaşar reminded that she said she wanted the law suit to be filed and those who are guilty to be revealed. Şenyaşar added, ""The wife of the MP said that her husband was in the hospital during the massacre. She accepted he was there. This is a confession. Prosecutors need to take the necessary legal action over this confession, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. He is still a member of the Parliament. He should say that he is not guilty and he didn't instructed his bodyguards to attack us. Why is there a confidentiality order on our file?

 

Underlining that they will continue the sit in until their demands are met, Şenyaşar said: "We will continue the sit in from different cities. We will go to Ankara soon. We are the victims of this crime. Our family was massacred. We have the ID's of the Republic of Turkey. Why aren't they meeting our demands if we are citizens of this country? Stop protecting the killers because they are from the AKP."

 

'WHY DON'T THEY SEE MY TEARS?'

 

Emine Şenyaşar said: "I should have been home, playing with my grand children but I have been sitting here for 8 months. Why don't they see my tears? They killed three people from my family. They should either arrest us and put is in prison or release my son. I want to see my son before I die."

 

MA / Emrullah Acar