For a period over a year 11 of Grup Yorum’s members are imprisoned, 6 of it’s members are on the most wanted list. For almost 3 years our concerts are being banned, our cultural centers raided, we are being arrested and thrown into prisons. Our hair is pulled out, our arms are being broken, ear membranes are being exploded. Why is all of this? We know that, from centuries ago until today, all artists which perform art for the people are the nightmare of the dominant forces. Because the peoples artists write, draw, narrate, sing and satirize the truth… yet, by no means they gave up on telling the truth. If a human being still protects human values in this barbaric imperialist epoch, if he can still be hopeful, then the space for the poets and the people’s artists is big. Grup Yorum does not abandon it’s historical duty, it does not give up telling the truth and the facts. Because of that it is left face to face against the biggest attacks in the history.
We will not give up because of we are exposed to the attacks, why would be? Apart from the death, blood, poverty and war, what is the imperialism and the fascism giving to the people, what can it give? Exactly because of that, the ones who are politically and historically right are us. We will not give up until we create a free country and not even after that. That’s exactly why they are attacking, that’s why they are enemies to Grup Yorum. If they make one a prisoner, they continue attacking in the prison, that’s how desperate they are.
Two of Grup Yorum members that are kept in the Şakran prison for women, Sultan Gökçek and Seher Adıgüzel have suffered a torture at the beginning of July, together with the other revolutionaries in the same prison cell. At the beginning the principals of the Şakran prison for women called in on an attack of over 50 prison guards and raided the cells. Look at that carelessness and desperation: to attack 6 women prisoners in total, artists from a group which gives concerts to millions of people, with over 50 prison guards. This doesn’t mean anything else but: “I am half-legitimate, I am unjust down to my shadow on the ground, I am desperate against the art, the thought of revolution and against the reality”. However, their weaknesses do not end here. Because of the communication bans for the prisoners, we learnt about the proportion of the attacks long afterwards. The attack’s real dimension appeared on the trial where Sultan Gökçek via video conference and some of other Grup Yorum’s members, namely Fırat Kıl and Dilan Ekin personally, communicated their experience. “They tried to strangle us with coathanger. Our lives are not safe” said Sultan and the video conference is immediately cut. It is being prevented for other prisoners to get more information about the event, and in such way they try to conceal the torture. The principal of the Şakran prison for women and the prison guards are torturing, but Grup Yorum prisoners that told that they were exposed to it are being shut off from the video conference by the court committee upon trying to relate it. That is, it’s a torture in collaboration of the prison with the court. You will account for this. We will show you what does it mean to try to suffocate two Grup Yorum’s young members, one of which is 24 and the other 19 years old. Criminals are being employed in the prisons. Thieves, swindlers, killers run wild on the streets. The ones who tell the truth, honourable people’s artists, lawyers and revolutionaries are being thrown into prisons. This wheel of fortune will change. There is a law of history and society. Maybe the fascist comprehension cannot grasp it, but it is as true as 2+2=4: “Every system that prevents the progress of humans, science and nature, that blocks the way, that does not meet fundamental needs of people, collapses and ends, and a new system comes in it’s place”. That’s how it is. The imperialism is about to end, and that’s why it is so aggressive, that’s why there is fascism. They cannot govern, they cannot resolve problems and because of this, they will be finished.
Another event of oppression has been experienced in the Burhaniye type-T prison. Two prisoners, members of Grup Yorum, Bahar Kurt and Betül Varan are not provided with the warm water in the ward they are staying at. A short while before her last telephone conversation Betül Varan explained that she was not given warm water with the excuse of “exceeding the cuota”. We are facing the kind of fascism which has the special skill of converting even the most human needs of the people who are imprisoned and kept between four walls into a means of torture. Another weakness, another miserable act. Look at yourself, do you think that by acting like this we will give up on our ideas? Is that so? Let’s just give up on our honourable living, on our living without destitution, on our living while we stand up against the injustice, let us be running dogs of money and the sultanate. This will not happen even in your dreams! Give up immediately on the oppression and torture. Because every torture we experience, every news of attack we receive, only grows our rage further. With this rage you will go to the trash of history.
Fascism is people’s enemey, the enemy of people’s values, honour and pride. Among it’s records are tarikats, Adnan Oktars, perverts, thieves, violent seizures, massacres… On our records are orchestras we established for poor children, people’s theatres, giant free concerts, movies that relate the truth, songs that tell about the life with both words and music, and that make the heart beat stronger. Our record is clean and because of this there is nothing that belongs to us that we wil give up on… Grup yorum continues marching on it’s path. In the prison or on liberty, it continues to produce, to resist, to fight the tyranny. And it wil continue to do so. Give up on those that add crime on top of a crime by torturing Grup Yorum, by attacking it. With determination we will be continue our march for the people’s art.
DOWN WITH THE FACISM, LONG LIVE OUR SONGS!
GRUP YORUM IS INSIDE, OUTSIDE, EVERYWHERE!
