Barbaros Şansal: “This state is harsh and outrageous”<

Barbaros Şansal, who describes himself as an apprentice tailor, is one of the “most prominent” protesters in Turkey… For having shared an ironic video on social networks, he was denounced as a target, then the victim of a attempted lynching organized at Atatürk airport (Istanbul). The case was taken to court. He shouldn't even have spent a single day in prison, but he was incarcerated anyway. He spent 56 days in a cell at Silivri prison in Istanbul.

Barbaros goes to the front, in all the marches and protests, both to say “No to war” and to demand justice for the assassination of Berkin Elvan… “The Law has been transformed into a weapon that power uses against the Opponents,” said Barbaros, “this is only a period, and it will pass. Law is an empty bag. You will reap what you put into it”

French | English | Türkçe Yeni Özgür Politika / sansürsüz link

Report by Yavuz Özcan published in Turkish on December 5, 2019 on Yeni Özgür Politika

You have already been judged in 1980, you had been tortured, in Sansaryan1Building in the Sirkeci district of Istanbul, used as a place of torture, and you had been obliged to leave Turkey. At that time, what were you accused of?

The persecution had already started before 1980. Around 1975, due to the fact that the various political coalitions could not solve the problems in the country, the universities, and even the high schools were politicized and the street was transformed into a contest. Also, at that time, the fact that Turkish cinema offered the public erotic films, like an opium, had raised moral questions, and as usual had turned homosexuals into targets. At that time, I wore red “converses”, I was then accused of being a communist. It took me 9 years to get out of this trauma, with a voluntary exile.

Are there other examples of such a justice system?

Law is an empty bag. You will reap what you fill it with.

The fact that the legislation resulting from international treaties which, in the universal sense, even concern civil law, jurisprudence and constitutions, are interpreted by governments that have become caliphates of profit, can naturally make the law subjective and non-functional. Once political institutions have been transformed into commercial holdings, the presumption of innocence can be put away.

The Turkish Republic is not currently a State of Law. The oddity of legal decrees (KHK), the state of exception (OHAL), arbitrary practices, and the system of “secret witnesses” and “informants”, make the functioning of justice even more difficult. As for examples, like in the new world order, everywhere there is worship of money and power, God's justice remains like good fortune in the gum packet.

Are there people who say to you “you are a scapegoat, we no longer give you the right to live in this country, go away”?

In the chain of targeting, false denunciations, false evidence, prejudicial trials, impunity, hate crimes, threats, violence, even extortion, assaults, added harassment and rape, I can suffer everything... But that does not mean say they will win. I love wrestling.

You are LGBTI, atheist, socialist, ecologist… You wear this chain, this necklace around your neck…

What you are quoting is not a necklace. A necklace is a jewel for the first lady. Mine are medals, a medal of honor for humanity. In countries like the Turkish Republic, you can become for some “scapegoats”, for others “the one who must be slaughtered” or even “a hero”… You can lose money, your profession, or your reputation. Suleyman Demirel21924-2015. Turkish statesman, he was Prime Minister, President… said “In reputation, there is neither interest nor economy. It exists or not”. I can only express this; those who are in this aggressive behavior change, when it comes to business, emotional, sexual or physical interest. From the religious man who declares his love, to the minister's wife who dreams of free dresses, all of them behave quite differently from what they express or what they show. The impudence and transgression present in their genes, almost rear up...

When you were in prison, lawyers from Selahattin Demirtaş came to visit you. Did you expect it?

Why shouldn't I wait for him? I shook his hand during the commemoration for Berkin Elvan in the Cemevi3 Place of worship of the Alevis in Okmeydanı (Istanbul). Meral Danış Beştaş was in my neighboring cell. Demirtaş is a gentleman whom I appreciate and who I follow. An exemplary family man, a defender of rights and freedoms. His lawyers came to visit, one evening, in the late hours, on their way back from Edirne prison [where he is imprisoned]. I think the Minister [of Justice] must have given special permission. As during my period of unjust incarceration, they were looking for links [to use as evidence against their accusation], they wiretapped all my visits with lawyers, deputies and other visitors. Finding no connection with an [illegal] organization or anything at all, they were very disappointed. They had me released in the middle of the night, and had me acquitted. In prison, I had visits from several elected officials and institutions, including İlhan Cihaner, Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Atilla Sertel, Zeynep Altıok Akatlı [MPs from the CHP], Tuncay Özkan, Hakan Aygün [journalists, authors], lawyers from the trial of the daily Cumhuriyet, the Bar of Antalya…On the other hand, in the thousands of letters that were intended for me, only 4 had been given to me. Moreover, despite the medical report, I was deprived of care. I became acquainted again with the rough and outrageous face of the State.

You were expelled from [northern] Cyprus after posting a video on social media. Arrived at Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, you suffered an attempted lynching. Why did all this happen to you?

I was expelled from Cyprus illegally, and on simple order. With the case No. 31/2017 that I opened before the Supreme Administrative Court of Northern Cyprus, against the Ministry of Home Affairs and the ministers, I proved this inhuman illegality.

I had criticized child abuse, bribes, imprisoned journalists, radical Islamic statements, and governments meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, with dark humor, a sarcastic style. It was just the first hours of the year 2017. But that night, there was the attack on the Reina club. An operation began on January 1. In an organized way, like the engineering of perception, my sharing was shown as if I had published it after Reina's attack. Tweets that don't belong to me were created with fake screenshots. And on January 2, the situation tended towards great indignation. Despite the fact that we had lodged a complaint against Cem Küçük, Maranki, Alişan and other names that pointed to me as a target, the complaints were not brought to the proceedings.

The Anatolian Agency [state news agency], released my private information belonging to Turkish Airlines. On my arrival, accompanied by the Cypriot police, to be taken into custody, by the police officers of the Istanbul security department, I suffered an attempt to be lynched to death, by the personnel of the TGS 4Entreprise linked to Turkish airlines, for airport ground services, baggage, identity checks etc., Turkish Technic5Turkish Airlines maintenance company, TAV 6Airport operator, EGM 7Turkish National Police Department, Havaş 8Airport transport company, Çelebi 9Holding, airport ground services, cargo, warehouse, with airport police [excerpt from the deposition to the court].

While I was assaulted, I was also robbed. The things I was carrying, from my shoes to the gold watch on my wrist, are gone.

The prefect of Istanbul Vasip Şahin protected the police officers in post, through a decree with the value of law. The opening of a public trial took more than two years. In the second hearing there were neither the defendants nor the judge. The hearing was therefore postponed to three months later. The next will take place in February 2020. For all these years, impunity has reigned. But it all happened because I wrote about an AKP woman's gambling passion. While she displayed the dollars like banners on gaming tables, her relatives piled up the dollars from the public. By the way, what happened to the Reina attack?

After your expulsion, how did you view the behavior of the government of Cyprus?

I have a past in Cyprus, since 1965. I have many friends there, both in northern and southern Cyprus. I still go there, and I own real estate there. The lifting of the immunity of Hüseyin Özgürgün, the Prime Minister at the time, is no coincidence. But what is strange, as much as I have received evil and illegality from people from Turkey, or who work for Turkey, in northern Cyprus, as much, in southern Cyprus, and From the Turks of Cyprus, I received only friendship, affection and respect. It makes you think. For the governments of Northern Cyprus, what the Republic of Turkey says is gospel.

You have not consumed the meals provided by the prison. Why ?

In prison, you cannot spend more than 300 Turkish Liras [equivalent of €46.93 to date]. The Ministry of Justice does not authorize it. And this sum also includes the cost of newspapers, tobacco, personal toiletries, cleaning products, and all other costs. [Reporter] Tuncay Özcan had lost a kidney in Silivri prison. For the duration of the quarantine, they tried to forcibly give me medicine. And I refused prison meals, including bread, because “the bread Berkin was carrying was stained with blood”10Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old Turkish boy, had gone out to buy bread when the police attacked him in Istanbul during the Gezi protests in June 2013. Wounded in the head by a tear gas canister fired by a policeman, he died on March 11, 2014, following a coma of 269 days. tried to survive by buying packaged food from the canteen, on my own.

If you want to learn how to live life, learn from Assam Bengal, Tamil Nadu, not from Nitish Kumar's Labor Zone poli… https://t.co/4LtEjrNI2i

— Krishna Mishra Sun Apr 19 05:24:01 +0000 2020

Would you have thought that your sharing would have generated all of this?

In the Republic of Turkey, even if you don't share anything, anything can happen to you. In this country, Lale Oraloğlu, [actress] was imprisoned for a porcelain plate 11Not giving in to threats to stop presentations, accused with false evidence, sentenced to 10 months in prison, for smuggling antiques. The indictment of Osman Kavala 12Turkish businessman, in prison for more than 2 years still does not exist. The Amnesty Turkey trial, Tahir Elçi13President of Diyarbakir assassinated in 2015, Hrant Dink14Author, Armenian journalist, assassinated in 2007 Behice Boran15Politician, workers' party, stripped of her nationality in 1981, Uğur Mumcu16Journalist, author, assassinated in 1993[/ footnote]… Everything is up to them. The security of life and property has never been trampled on so much at any time. I'm not even talking about opinion or expression.

How did you feel being arrested?

My file was a file on order. As I had already experienced arrests, I had gotten used to it. It was also obvious that the interior was safer than the exterior. Those who wanted me dead, then wanted me in solitary confinement.

What if I asked you where is Turkey going?

My grandmother used to say “On the back of an omen, let's move towards the apocalypse”. For me, it goes into the unknown. But it must improve. The Turkish Republic has a structure with strong dynamics. It cannot be seen isolated from the world. Concepts such as racism, nationalism, ethnicism, fundamentalism, sell only by monthly payments, at interest rates. However, the price of this commercialization weighs in the end, always heavy.

For the past 17 years, the AKP has been in power…

Should we say, last thousand years, or even 12,000 years like Hasankeyf, or even 15,000 years like Göbekli Tepe? If a country has reached such a state of being, those who live in it, the citizens, are primarily responsible. They are led as they deserve.

We know that you are anti-war and we know your actions in this direction. What do you want to say about what the Kurds are going through both here in Turkey, as well as in Syria?

Only in Syria? Burkina Faso, Somali, Libya, Congo, Rwanda, Rohingya, Kashmir… Only the Kurds? Armenians, Yazidis, Alevis, LGBTIQ, Jews, Christians, Muslims… War brings blood and death, generates suffering and hatred. As for peace, love, respect and tolerance. The war will continue as long as the chemical monopolies and the arms producers use the media to elect those whom they can make do whatever they want.

What did you experience in prison?

For what I've been through in the prison, there won't be enough room here. But those who wish can be my guest, in my cell, reading my book “Makam Odası / Linç” published [in Turkish] by Destek Yayınları. It may not be found in bookstores, as it bothers some people. But you can read it by getting it on the internet. [Note from Kedistan: 8th edition freshly published, you can order here, in a very short time.]

Do you currently feel a fear for your life security?

The Turkish Republic supposedly provides me with “protection on demand”. But in fact, being constantly accompanied by an informant would put my life in danger. I do not trust. With an organized operation, in an international airport, they put me face to face with death. And now they protect organizers and executors.

Many journalists, writers, intellectuals are in prison for criticizing the government. What do you think ?

Justice can be useful to everyone, one day. I do not give credence to the phrase “Law is the prostitute of power”. For me, it can be called “mackerel”. Just like those who, as soon as power loses its strength, look for new capital and customers… With each coup d'etat, it's the same thing.

You call yourself an apprentice tailor. Is it modesty?

If you don't make fun of yourself, life laughs at you. In an environment where the mistresses of the wealthy, the incompetent without merit are called fashion designers, I try to express that my job is that of a tailor. As my master Yıldırım Mayruk is still alive and he still qualifies as a “tailor” how would you like me to introduce myself?

As a fashion designer who served time in prison, what do you think of the practice of “unique clothing” in prison?

Costume is a part of the performing arts. The uniform always makes the one who slips into it smaller. Especially if it is produced without thinking about its function, maintenance and repairs. You end up stinking. If in the 21st century, society still seeks reputation through clothing, it is because it is ashamed of its nudity.

You are the child of an elite family. How was your decision to become a tailor received?

In truth, it was not me who decided. With my paternal grandmother at 7 years old, I actually started. But I added variations; production, choreography, writing, collections… I enriched myself with my hobbies. Furthermore, I am against the notion of an “elite family”. What you call the “elites” are only those who get elected.

Was what you went through really intended to create fear through your experience?

Only through me?

Fear is their enemy. The enemy of conspiratorial hyenas, not mine.

Those who insult me ​​or lie, I expose them on social media. And I meet certain triggers in different circles. Many of them ask me “if I sleep with you, how much will you pay me?”. Turkey, that's it!

In Turkey, are there other people besides you who manage to express “I am homosexual” with as much ease as you, and even to “scream” it? Where does this courage come from?

I don't know, I never thought of that. I didn't care what other people would think either. Yes, as far as my orientation and my body are concerned, I am free. I am at peace with myself. Anyway, apart from that, there is not a single zone of movement in which the State does not intervene. they can even circumcise you before you have a conscience. And in the Turkish Republic, there are very few homosexuals. The others qualify; "I am active".

If not being afraid is something that requires courage, it is a character trait. I calculate, not what should remain in my life, but what and who should leave it. And I won't back down until my right to life is taken away.

During the Gezi revolt, you competed with the best journalists. You have done hours of live. Do you have the soul of a journalist?

Gezi is the breaking point of these lands. The fact that they chew Gezi like chewing gum even today, that they look for “external forces”, it is in vain. with 10 million participants, it is the biggest social resistance in the history of the [Turkish] Republic.

You can use and share Kedistan's articles and translations by specifying the source and adding a link in order to respect the work of the authors and translators. Thank you. Teşekkürler.Ji kerema xwere dema hun nivîsên Kedistanê parve dikin, ji bo rêzgirtina maf û keda nivîskar û wergêr, lînk û navê malperê wek çavkanî diyar bikin. Spas. You may use and share Kedistan's articles and translations, specifying the source and adding a link in order to respect the writer(s) and translator(s) work. Thank you. Thanks.