Mehmet Türkmen, the General President of BİRTEK-SEN, who was detained yesterday because of a speech he gave during the protest of Sırma Carpet workers who took action for their rights, has been remanded in custody.
Reacting to the decision after leaving the court, Türkmen said:
“Go ahead and arrest me. Maybe this is how you think justice is served. What exactly are you trying to solve? Everything is made to look as if it follows procedure. There’s no need for all this. From now on, when an employer files a complaint, just take people straight to prison. Don’t play this game. Skip these statements, trials, and hearings. Just do whatever the employer decides. Put it directly under the authority of the employers. In this country, ten workers die every year in factories, their arms and hands are torn off. Not a single employer even gives a statement. But when a unionist speaks about this, he is arrested because of an employer’s complaint. And then they say there is justice in this country. [ ] Employers run this city, and once again the prosecutors and judges of this city have proven that they act on the orders of employers. I was arrested despite committing no crime—only because I said there is no justice in this country.”
Call from BİRTEK-SEN: We call on all workers and laborers for solidarity
In a statement shared on the union’s page:
“Our General President Mehmet Türkmen has been arrested! Your judiciary and your state are a state of employers. We do not accept this arrest. Mehmet Türkmen must be released immediately. We call on all workers and laborers, and everyone who stands for democracy, to show solidarity.”