MARDIN - Witnesses of the July 14 Great Death Fast Resistance drew attention that the resistance put forward was an example for revolutionaries all over the world, and noted that the message given was "resistance".
The military coup carried out by Kenan Evren and his accompanying soldiers on September 12, 1980 is still fresh in the memories as a period when torture and inhumane practices reached unimaginable proportions. During the military coup of September 12, which was the darkest period in the history of the country, 650 thousand people were detained, 230 thousand people were tried, nearly 52 thousand people were arrested, more than 7 thousand people were sentenced to death, 517 people were sentenced to death, and 50 people were executed. Prisons were the places where the heaviest inhumane practices were experienced during the coup process. While prisons in Turkey and Kurdistan were being turned into 'torture room', Diyarbakır Prison No. 5, led by Captain Esat Oktay Yıldıran, entered the list of "10 most notorious prisons in the world" in the following years.
THE HISTORICAL RESISTANCE
The resistance against torture and inhuman practices was just as great. Especially in Diyarbakır Prison No. 5, a relentless struggle developed against the aforementioned practices. Mazlum Doğan, one of the leading cadres of the PKK, turned his body into Newroz fire on March 21, 1982, with three matchsticks, by giving the message "Submission leads to betrayal, resistance leads to victory" against torture. Doğan's action marked a turning point in the history of Kurdish resistance.
After Doğan's action, Ferhat Kurtay, Necmi Öner, Eşref Anyık and Mahmut Zengin said: “We are the successors of Mazlum. This action must be understood correctly” and set their bodies on fire on May 18, 1982. Kurtay, Öner, Anyık and Zengin, who were remembered with the words "make the fire grow stronger, the one who pours water is a traitor", went down in history as the "Four comrades" with their actions.
The action of the "Four comrade" was followed by the death fast action initiated by Mehmet Hayri Durmuş, one of the leading cadres of the PKK, in the courtroom on July 14, 1982. Kemal Pir, Ali Çiçek and Akif Yılmaz were also involved in Durmuş's action. Kemal Pir died on September 9, M. Hayri Durmuş on September 12, Akif Yılmaz on September 15 and Ali Çiçek on September 17. The protests continued uninterrupted after those who lost their lives in the Great Death Fast Resistance on July 14.
78's Association Mardin Spokesperson Arif Turğay and Beşir Dündar, witnesses of the Great Death Fast Resistance, which entered its 41st anniversary, talked about what happened at that time and its effects.
TURĞAY: PRISON BECOME A TORTURE ROOM
Stating that before the 1980 coup, the state was stuck and the people showed their will to take over the administration, Arif Turğay said: "This situation 'disturbed' the state and the imperialist powers. The democratic demands of the Kurds are coming to the fore day by day and the demands of the people for democracy are increasing in the cities of Turkey. The military coup took place after the demands became clear. The rush of arrests started after the coup. The Kurds had been affected. Nearly 5,000 people were detained in Merdîn(Mardin) alone at that time. Let's keep water to bread, from cigarettes to the breath we take, they have turned them all into torture. They were saying that if we did not do what they wanted, they would do what they wanted with torture… It came to such a point that the prison turned into a torture room after a while.”
THE EFFECTS OF MAZLUM DOĞAN'S ACTION
Stating that there was a need for an exit against the increasing torture in prison and Mazlum Doğan made this exit, Turğay said: “There was a need for an exit. A price had to be paid. When you don't give a price, day by day you will melt and disappear. Mazlum's exit became a light for the prison. Mazlum's action caused a shock on the cadres in the prison, on the prison administration and on the people. The oppressed gave a message; 'Submission leads to betrayal, resistance leads to victory.' Mazlum's action caused a shock, but it did not stop the torture. After the action of Mazloum was heard, the cadres of the revolution put a new process in front of them. The torture stopped to some extent after the action carried out by Four Comrades. A new resistance process started with the exit of Hayri Durmuş on July 14.
'FOUR COMRADES SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE WORLD REVOLUTIONARY'
Drew attention what happened during the July 14 process, Turğay said: "Under torture, they resisted with an extraordinary will and continued their struggle until they lost their lives. When you look at the Amed Dungeon within the framework of these 3 actions, one can see what the Amed Dungeon is like. Revolutionary Way' One of the leaders of the UN, Orhan Keskin saw a lot of resistance- had a historical said: 'Do you know why we failed and the freedom movement succeeded? The cadres in the Kurdish Freedom Movement succeeded because they risked death. They created life out of death because the cadres created life out of death.' Other cadres followed them and today has come. There are some important days and important actions in history, those actions cannot be held for the second time. Just as Mazlum's action was a special action, the action of the Fours was the same on July 14. Not only for the Kurds, but for the world. The four comrades set an example for the revolutionaries as well. These cadres fell in love with this people with love, with great faith and with great patience. There are such people in every period and there will be similar issues. Today we should all turn to ourselves, see our mistakes, put our hats on us and think."
'THE MESSAGE WAS RESISTANCE'
Noting that they learned to protest with Mazlum Doğan, Four comrades and July 14 resistance, Dündar said: "We couldn't even object to a glass of water. These friends taught us to object to everything. If we can have an interview here today, we can do it for their sake. The message was resistance. It was nothing more than that. You will resist. After the resistance is the holiday. There is a Kurdish scholar (Abdullah Öcalan) who says that 'understanding is justice.' That's why we must understand each other first. Understanding is justice. If you're under persecution, if you don't understand who is persecuting you, you can't do it. If we understand each other, the rest is comfortable."
MA / Ahmet Kanbal