Let us start with the question “Does the state rape”. I will return to the 1970s, which is close in social history. Our country is forced to withdraw from social life and business life through increasing pressure. When economic dilemmas begin and the social opposition is growing, then the state’s readiness to use force emerges.
In previous coups such as May 27 and March 12, tortures were described as brutal beats and deprivation, while in the September 12th coup the state used professional torture methods.
One million people were subjected to detention, arrest and torture in the September 12, 1980 coup. Even after being released, people could not survive the trauma and did not talk about it for many years. The Diyarbakır Prison Torture Commission reported methods of torture such as suspension, falaka, electricity and rape. Fascism, without discrimination between men and women, the people were raped by various means.
The first book on this subject is written by Pamuk Yildiz, who was imprisoned for 9 years in Mamak Prison, “Always on My Mind.” Another testimony is Sakine Cansız’s biography book “My Life Was Always A Fight,” who was arrested in Elazığ and thrown into the dungeons of Diyarbakır. These two women, who broke their silence with great courage, described torture in their books in the clearest way.
Sakine Cansız stated that she was taken to a room during her interrogation in custody, that there was a mattress on the floor and that the analyst said “if you do not talk, I will rape you” in the face of this, Sakine replies “the rape you will commit with your patriarchal male mentality does not scare me.”
This is the expression of ‘men who try to intimidate, oppress, shout and summon to prove that they have power, state and force. The man all of a sudden becomes weak when faced with Sakines stance and unresponsiveness to intimidation. I think that the book; “My Life Was Always a Fight” was banned for exactly this reason. The narratives of these women are a good example of empowering women in the face of rape, which must be overcome and show that we, women, do not have sin, shame, or crime.
Of course, Mamak, Metris and Diyarbakır Prisons were the most important prisons in this regard. Not only were women raped here. Yasar Okuyan from MHP (who became minister of labour during the ANAP period) explained the torture in Mamak Prison: “Men were asked to undress. They were raped with a batton or forced another friend to rape them from behind.”
We understand from this that rape, baton insertion, bottle sitting, using broken bottles, methods such as torture for men were very common. In fact, “I know that a Rape Team was established in Mamak Prison”, says Yaşar Okuyan. But unfortunately, men do not talk about it yet. The presence of this Rape Team shows another thing; that not all men are and can be rapists.
The raping of men was entered into torture reports, but it was always narrated as being committed by second and third parties. Are there no narratives, that have been clearly written? Of course, there is, but no one deciphers the situation of being a man. You will say is it very necessary! Yes, it is. This problem is no longer a woman’s problem, it is necessary to raise awareness of the problem. Of course, this struggle can not be expected by women alone. The participation of men is vital.
Now let’s come to the problem of rape as a whole. With the July 15 coup, Fetö members came to the agenda where rape was used as a method of interrogation and torture during the detention process, together with those who were eliminated and arrested. About 40 thousand people were detained as Feto members, more than 100 thousand people were fired from their jobs. We see that this situation will not be limited to these arrests, which will continue to increase.
Is it a coincidence that this coup, which was expressed as ‘the grace of God’, coincides with a time when the AKP government is stuck with the inconvenience of constantly changing, receiving no result from unimaginably brutal policies, which are constantly blown and changed inside and outside!
The statements of AKP and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who ruled with the claim of zero tolerance to torture, after the coup, says “We will never pity the FETÖ members, we will not have mercy”, which paves the way for all kinds of torture.
So far, Amnesty International and human rights associations have reported numerous reports of rape allegations. “We have reliable evidence that those claimed following the coup attempt were beaten, tortured, rapped,” as Amnesty International said. We understand from this that if the police and the army, that is the soldiers, the security institutions of the state and the detainees are in the hands of the state, then it would not be wrong to say that these rapes take place under the control of that state. Although the Minister of Justice denies it, it does not cover the truth.
It is also important that most of those who stated that they were subjected to sexual assaults were from law enforcement forces, such as soldiers and policemen, which were the basis of the state’s power. We see that they raped their friends, who were trained together, went to war, stayed in the same ward, ate at the same table, suffered from their ranks and saluted because of their ranks. The torture which they had intended to apply before was now returned to them. They have done this before to others themselves.
This shows that rape is a threat to all who have passed through history without exception. Recognizing such torture and rape is a violation of human rights and is a crime regardless of whom applies it. The states’ record is not good at all, on this bases. I’m not just talking about our own country. In the book ‘Haydari Camp,’ we see rape in Israeli prisons and Abu Ghraib Prison as the main method of torture for men and women.
This shows that rape is used as a tool for being powerful and for protecting its power.
Gülistan Aydoğdu
