DİYARBAKIR- Hasan Mesut Çelebi, who was released from prison after 31 years, said: "No one gets tired in the struggle for the democratic revolution. Thanks to the struggle of our people, we survived, we will pay our debts to our people."

 

Hasan Mesut Çelebi, who was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment after being taken into custody with injuries on July 12, 1992 in Bazîd (Doğubayazıt) district of Agirî(Ağrı), was released on July 5 after 31 years of detention. Çelebi, who was born in the village of Koselû in Bismil district of Amed in 1969, completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Bismil. Çelebi, who moved to Eskişehir University, Department of Economics in 1988, took part in youth activities in the first year of the university. He joined the PKK in 1989. Çelebi, who was detained and arrested in 1992 as injured in Bazîd district of Agirî, was taken to Ağrı Type E Prison. Çelebi's 31-year detention period also began here.

 

Çelebi, who was detained in Agirî from July to August, spent 19 years in Nevşehir, Yozgat, Ankara Ulucanlar, Erzurum, Muş and Amed(Diyarbakır) prisons, respectively. Çelebi spent the last 12 years in Rize Kalkandere Type L Closed Prison, where he was released.

 

'WE DIDN'T FEEL AS PRISONERS'

 

Çelebi, who spent 31 years deprived of his physical freedom between four walls, said: “Even though our bodies are imprisoned within four walls, our intellectual, personal development, organization, struggle and the state of our people continue. In this sense, we did not really feel like a prisoner even for a day.”

 

Noting that the hardest and most difficult period in prison was when PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan was brought to Turkey by an international conspiracy, Çelebi said: “Perhaps for the first time, we felt helpless. But some of our heroic friends showed with their stances, practices and actions that no matter what field you are in, no matter what impossibility you are in, if you organize your will and act accordingly, you can create an opportunity even in the most impossible place. Our friends showed us this way with their actions "You Can't Darken Our Sun". We got over the psychology of helplessness in a really short time. It was the beginning of a new excitement and morale. A new process has begun with the new paradigm. A new excitement and motivation began. How many answers we have is another matter, but you can do something even if you are in a dungeon.

 

'FAVORABLE REGULATIONS WERE NOT APPLIED'

 

Noting that laws were enacted and regulations were issued for the first time during the resolution process period, Çelebi said: "Common policies began to be implemented in all prisons with the enacted regulations. The articles in favor of the prisoners were not implemented in the regulations, but the things against us were implemented in a more difficult way. Depending on where we were, the structure of the city and the people there also affected. So there could be some weakness or strength in practice, but a partnership had formed. When we looked at the beginning, there were 50-60 prisons all over Turkey and not all of them had our friends. Since the number of prisons was small, our friends were outnumbered in the prison they were in. This was a great opportunity. But so far, as many prisons as the number of prisons in Europe have been built. This is not about the increasing crime rate in Turkey. While some prisons in Turkey cannot fill their capacity; some have 3-4 times more people. Its main purpose was to disperse the prisoners of liberty. When you look at the map, there is a prison in places you have not even heard of, and 5-6 of our friends are here. In places where our friends are outnumbered, they are dispersed from time to time through exile. This is used as a method against us.”

 

'PRISONERS ARE GOTTEN ILL SLOWLY'

 

Stating that there was a policy of torture even with food, Çelebi said: "This is slowly making prisoners ill and gradually killing them. We got through this process thanks to our people and our organization. But when they saw this, they changed their laws in 2001 and families were prevented from bringing anything. Even the least of our friends who were in prison at that time did not get ill in their intestines and stomach. They also trigger other diseases. There is no one left who does not experience heart, liver and kidney diseases. Many of our friends were martyred in the dungeon for these reasons. Many of our friends were martyred because they were not referred to the hospital or were transferred late; moreover, this policy continues today. The greatest example is our friend Mehmet Emin Özkan.”

 

THE FIGHT HAS SURVIVED THE PRISONERS

 

Underlining that it is not easy to spend 30 years in prison, Çelebi said: "We survived this process with our mentality and motivation. We were free despite all the physical isolation during the prison process. This was due to the struggle both inside and outside. We will resist outside in the same way we resisted inside. There is no getting tired in the struggle for democratic revolution. Just as we survived 31 years thanks to the struggle of our people outside, we will also pay our debt to our people because we owe them. We have heroic people. We have democratic institutions. In this sense, there is a weakness. I believe that this weakness will disappear in a short time and those friends will join the struggle for democracy in the strongest way and pay their debts.

 

MA / Welat Ekin